Remembering Sunday
by MaxWaylandGrey
Summary: Clary and Jace are brought together by problems. Once together, they are faced with a bigger problem than their own. AU/AH Rated T
1. Prologue

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

People have been telling me to do a TMI fanfic and well, here it is. This is a small prologue. Hopefully the next chapters will become longer as the plot grows. ;) I want to thank BlodeHairBlueEyes14 and 07XReflectional for reading this and telling me it was worth it. ;D

I usually don't work with songs to get me in the mood, but for this particular chapter there was one that kind of helped me.

_Look After You - The Fray_

Enjoy ;)

* * *

~Prologue~

_This better be worth it,_ Jace thought as he gazed at his new house. Two story with what looked like modern architecture. He started pulling boxes out of the moving van to take inside the empty house.

Today was Sunday. He always said, "Sunday's the day God rests and so do I!" Unfortunately that wasn't going to be a possibility today.

The Lightwood family had just moved from Minnesota. Isabelle felt like her parents had betrayed her by making her start a new life without all of her friends. Always the Drama Queen. Alec took it okay, although he was going to Nationals in Track back home. Although he didn't show it, he knew Alec. He was disappointed. As for Jace, he was okay. He really didn't care if they moved or not. He was the captain in the soccer team, but that's nothing. They were all doing sacrifices for Maryse. Minnesota was flooded with memories of him.

Jace had been frustrated the entire ride. He just couldn't stand being confined in a car too long. He was always fidgeting with whatever he could find. Nervous habit, they would say. He just couldn't stay still. He wouldn't have been like that if He had been in the ride too…

Jace was brought back from his reverie by someone cursing behind him. Turning around, he found Isabelle glaring at her heel in one hand while holding her boot in the other. From the corner of his eye he could see Alec's dark head going inside the house.

Finally taking his frustration out on his sister, "Isabelle, we are moving, not going to a fashion show. Couldn't you wear something more appropriate?" Isabelle changed her glare from the heel to Jace. Her charcoal eyes were unreadable which was scary. Jace always found it easy to read Isabelle. She wasn't that hard. She was the girl you never wanted to cross paths with, but deep inside, her heart was warm. She tossed her long hair on back of her shoulder and sent daggers at Jace with her eyes.

"Well Jace, as my motto says: Look presentable at all times or you might be confused with a hobo. Besides, it's not like I'm dressing fancy!" Jace just looked at her incredulously taking in her expensive jeggings and one-shoulder purple blouse. Not saying anything about her four-inch black knee boots, of course. "Look, this shirt is totally last season just like these jeggings. And for these crappy boots, I bought them two months ago. If I was aiming for fancy I would have gotten something fro-"

"Okay. Okay! I get it." Jace cut through Isabelle's speech. Before she tried to demand him into taking her boxes up to her room, he grabbed a sweater from an open box of his clothes and took off. He passed by Robert telling him he was going for walk. He needed time to think. To breath. He nodded and Jace pulled his hood over his head. He didn't want to attract attention from New York City teenage girls.

He was observing his surroundings. He had never been to New York and if he had before, he was too young and still not with the Lightwoods. The pieces he was seeing from the city were okay to him. He thought of New York City as 'too crowded'. People were darting out of boutiques and onto another. Coming from a small town, there were far too many people for his liking, but he would have to learn to cope.

Maryse had gone off to the flower shop right when they had started taking the boxes out complaining the place was far too white. Jace liked it that way, clean. But he knew Maryse was just looking for a distraction. She couldn't afford a breakdown. Not now.

He walked more with no purpose or goal. He passed a few coffee shops and comic stores, only casing to bring more memories. Painful memories. He sped through those when he passed by one. He stopped dead on his tracks when he saw a hoard of people dressed in black coming out of what looked to be a funeral house. Another flood of memories came back to him, but he couldn't force himself to leave.

Two people were thanking everybody for coming. One, a man, whose misery was quite evident in those blue eyes that tried and failed to hide behind his askew glasses. He wore a black flannel shirt, and by the droop of his shoulders, Jace could tell he was devastated.

The other person, much shorter, a girl, he observed. She wore black skinny jeans with converse and an oversized black sweater. Her hood was drawn to cover up her face but a few red curls managed to escape.

When everybody left, her knees buckled, causing her to fall in the foot of the stairs. Holding her head in her hands, she started shaking, crying. The man sat next to her and hugged her close while cried. The scene in front of Jace seemed way too intimate for him to be watching but he just couldn't tear his eyes away from the heartbreaking image.

Suddenly, as if she knew he was there, she made eye contact with him. Her face was covered in shadows so the only things he could see were her eyes. Those green eyes were puffy and bloodshot from crying. But they didn't waver from his. He found himself running away, back home. But he was sure of one thing; he would never forget those green eyes. Ever.

* * *

_Did you guys like it enough that you want to read more..? If yes, then..._

_Review?_


	2. Chapter One

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

So, I just wanted to thank you all for the incredible feedback! To be honest, I wasn't expecting too much, but the reviews definitely made my weekend. Now, as I promised, here is Chapter One.

_Songs:_

_Mr. Brightside- The Killers (Simon & Clary)_

_The Way We Talk- The Maine (Jace & Clary ;D)_

_Breakeven- The Script (Jace)_

* * *

~Chapter One~

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

"Please, Clary? Pretty please? For your bestest friend in the whole wide world?" Simon was almost on his knees kissing Clary's feet. Clary giggled.

"Is bestest even a word?" She saw Simon's serious face. Scary. "Okay! I'll lend you the money, but it's just a comic, Simon! Clam down!" Clary started looking for the money in her bag.

Simon faked hurt and clutched the damn comic to his chest. "How dare you?" He half-whispered. "This is not 'just a comic'. It's The Comic! You know how long I've been waiting for it to come out?"

"Yes, I do, Simon. Exactly three minutes with thirty-four seconds. Wait, thirty-five." She laughed. "Simon, you just saw it right now!" Simon tried and failed to look indifferent. She handed him the money.

"Yes, well, I'm just that cool!" He replied making himself taller than he already is, making Clary feel shorter than she was, but she was already used to it. She laughed.

"Yes, Simon. And that's why you are my bestest friend in the whole wide world." Clary said using Simon's exact words. Simon faked wiping away a tear. He was definitely acting weird today.

"See? It stuck to you!" He grinned like The Joker. They waited in line in silence until Clary broke the silence.

"So, what's up with you, huh? You've been acting weird since this afternoon." Clary asked as she ate a piece of her blue cotton candy.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Clary knew Simon was lying. His brown eyes twinkled under his glasses and he had a big smile plastered in his face. He was about to hand the money to the man on the cash register when Clary grabbed the money.

"Clary! Give me the money back!"

"Not until you tell me what's up!" She waved the money in front of his face. Simon's eyes followed the money. She almost laughed at how ridiculous Simon looked. Finally he gave up.

"Fine. But let's get out of here first, deal?" He said, asking for the money.

"Deal!" She handed the money to the man and paid for The Comic.

o.8.o

They walked a few blocks in silence while Clary ate her cotton candy and Simon stole some every once in a while. They were a blur of black and brown. Simon in his brown slacks and brown jacket. Clary all in black for like seemed her usual attire. Except, of course, for her flaming red hair. The cold wind was blowing in their faces, freezing their noses. After a few minutes the silence bothered Clary.

"Simon, why are you being so quiet? You are usually rambling about something I totally have no interest in hearing and laughing at your face expressions. Today, you are like a different person. What's up?"

Simon laughed. "It's nothing really, but, well, I was waiting to get to the café I was taking you to tell you."

"Aw, Simon! You are going to make me wait? Are we almost there?" Clary whined.

"Patience, my padawan." Clary smiled at the reference from Star Wars.

They walked about ten more minutes, Simon just browsing through his new comic while Clary just laughed at how excited Simon looked. The way his brown hair would fall into his eyes when he found an incredible graphic and _had_ to show Clary was priceless. Finally they arrived to the café that Clary had never seen. It was a nice place. The browns, beiges, and oranges made the place warm. They found a booth around the corner and Clary couldn't help her curiosity anymore.

"Tell me! Now!"

Simon laughed at her how huge her green eyes looked as she waited for what Simon had to say.

"Well, today I met someone."

"Oh, cool! What's his name? Is he going to be your new gaming buddy? Does he own Call of Duty?"

"She. Isabelle. And no," he laughed, "she will not be my new gaming buddy. That's still yours. And, her owning CoD would be awesome!"

"Wait. This person, it's a girl?" Simon laughed, again.

"Yes, Clary. Isabelle is a girl name."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What happened?"

"Uh, well, she is my new biology partner."

"Did you talk to her?"

"Uhh," Simon frowned.

"Did you?"

"Yes,"

"And?" Clary asked expectantly.

"Geez, Clary! Nothing! She is really nice although her looks makes you think otherwise. She just transferred. Something about her brother getting kicked out." Simon looked out the window. The gesture meaning something like, _I don't want to talk about this anymore_. She wouldn't let it go as easily.

"So, you like this girl. I'm going to meet her next semester, you know. Even if you don't want that. I am changing my schedule to have biology with you." Clary and Simon had had this conversation a few days after school had started. Clary didn't like changing her schedule after the first few days. She preferred to take the classes and then change on the next semester. It just prevented the headache. Besides, there was just a few more days left before Christmas break.

"Yes, I know." He replied, still looking out the window. His voice sounding far away.

"Simon, just tell me." She slapped his arm to get his attention. He met her eyes.

"Fine," he finally gave up. "She said something about changing her schedule as well, except for Biology, because she actually liked the class. Then she smiled and winked at me. I pinched myself to make sure I was awake and it came out positive." Clary smiled despite herself. Simon was as shy as he had been in fifth grade. This was a total new level. The girl actually came at him. Not backwards.

"Wow, Si! I'm so happy for you! I hope you get to know her better." Simon smiled. "So, what do you want? I want caffeine badly." She asked as she made her way to stand up.

"No coffee for me. But I won't reject a glazed donut." He grinned, asking for permission.

"Okay."

o.8.o

The line was infinite. About six people stood in front of Clary and she bet they weren't here for small orders. She used to be patient. She believed she had the whole time of the world and wouldn't have cared about a line this long. She would have actually enjoyed it. But that was a Clary that had died six months ago.

She heard someone cursing very imaginatively and using bad words. Clary wasn't fond of bad words. She turned around to face the person who had just used them.

"You know bad words are bad, don't you? That's why they are called _bad_ words." She took the guy in front of her in. Taller than her, no great feat. A golden mane of curls adorned his head and hanged just over perfect amber eyes. He wore a plain white T-shirt and dark jeans that hung loosely on his hips. A guitar was slung on his back. _Wasn't he cold?_, she asked herself. He looked at her with curiosity, as if he hadn't realized she was there.

"Yeah. And for some reason those so-called _bad_ words exist, no?" His voice was soft velvet.

"Yup. Words in Portuguese also exist, but you don't use them, right?" A small smirk formed in his lips. She looked back at his eyes. She could swear she knew those eyes, but they just kept regarding her amusingly.

"Well, you could teach me some. Then, maybe I would use some." He looked overly confident on his words. Clary almost thought if he was actually up to it.

"Really? I would teach you, you know, but I don't think your head could actually retain that much." He chuckled under his breath but never broke eye contact with her.

"What got you in such a bad mood, eh?" He was challenging her. _Fine_, she thought. She smiled.

"I'm not in a bad mood. Actually, I haven't been in such a good mood in a long time!" He raised his eyebrows. Frustration filled her inside. She still couldn't do that.

"I see," he said. "You just don't like people saying bad words?"

"Yup. Exactly. Now, I'm going to order some coffee. Laters." She turned around, and thankfully, she was the next one in line.

Clary made her order and thought she wouldn't be bothered by the guy behind her. Not that it wasn't fun annoying him, but there was something unsettling about him she just couldn't wrap around her finger.

Unfortunately, no such luck, because after grabbing her Mocha and Simon's donut, he was there, blocking her from going anywhere. "Um, excuse me?" She asked. She sidestepped him but he would just step in front of her. "Okay," she stopped, "what?"

"What's your name?" He asked. She thought about a comeback but she had a better idea.

"Roxanne. Why?" She lied. She wanted to see if she could keep this up without messing it up.

He grinned. Did that mean he believed her or not? "Nice name. Oh, just asking. It's not everyday you meet a person who despises bad words."

"Yeah, well, I'm different." She was about to move when she realized she didn't know his name. "And yours?"

"Mine what?" He was challenging her. Seeing if she would back away. _No such luck, my friend, _she thought.

"What's your name?"

"Jace." She smiled. "Why are you smiling?"

"The name fits you. Now, got to go." She tried to move away, but again, he just blocked her path.

"Why does it fit me?" His golden eyes were boring on hers, as if he was waiting for her to turn away. She kept his gaze.

"Well, it's smooth and at the same time reckless. Now, my coffee is getting cold. See you around, Jace." And he let her go.

As she was going back to the booth in the corner she heard, "Bye, Roxanne." She had successfully fooled him.

o.8.o

"Took you long enough." Simon muttered with his mouth full of donut. "I was about to go see who had kidnapped you!"

"Yes, or you could have just turned your head and see the huge line for orders." She said, stirring her coffee.

"Oh, but I did! I saw you taking with Goldilocks over there. Thought he was someone from school so I didn't bother."

"He is not from school. Well, at least I don't think so," Clary narrowed her eyes. "But he did cuss."

"Oh. Makes sense." It had taken Clary a few weeks to get Simon to stop using the F-word for everything.

"Yup, yup." All of the sudden, music started playing. Guitar to be more precise, then singing. She recognized that song. How could she not?

_I'm still alive, but I'm barely breathing._

_Just praying to a God that I don't believe in._

Clary looked around to find the source of such thing. Her eyes narrowed when they landed on Jace. He was sitting in one of the stools near the cash register. He was a great singer and his voice was incredible, but it still made Clary bolt upright.

'_Cause I got time while she got freedom._

"Simon, let's go." Simon took a quick glance at the blonde boy and nodded. He understood. Simon could see Clary's eyes watering already. He had to get her out of here.

_'Cause when a heart breaks, no, it don't break even._

Clary had already started walking when Simon was barely getting out of the booth. He ran over to catch up with her.

"Take me home, Si. Just… take me home." She pleaded to him once they were outside the café, and Simon obeyed.

o.8.o

Jace saw her take her seat in front of the guy with the bad haircut. He saw Roxanne stirring her coffee slowly. He thought the name didn't fit her too well. Yeah, it was her name, but it was too bold for her. Also, something about her was faintly familiar. Maybe her attitude or just maybe those red curls! He just couldn't find where or when he might've met her. Putting that thought aside, he thought about playing something. The girl in the cash register wouldn't mind at all. Besides, he wanted to see Roxanne's reaction. He started playing one of his favorite songs. He was really in the mood, but once he looked up to see if she was paying attention, he found her running to the door with the other kid running after her. Jace stopped playing. Did she not like music? It was possible seeing how she was. But to just run away? Maybe she just didn't like the song he was playing. But them he started questioning himself. What did he care? But he found out he really did care, and hoped to see Roxanne soon.

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_Did you guys like it? ;) Give me your opinions! Constructive criticism is perfectly fine with me. Well, you kno9w what to do!_

_Review?_


	3. Chapter Two

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

Hey, guys! So, I've been on my mood! ;) Lucky worms! Anyways, I liked this chapter. It is kind of short but nevertheless, what's inside is what counts. xD Anyways, I want to thank ShadowhuntingMundie for being so awesome and 07XReflectional for helping me with this.

_Songs:_

_Song 2- Blur (Jace & Alec)_

_What Sarah Said- Death Cab for Cutie (Scene with Clary and on)_

* * *

~Chapter Two~

**ONE WEEK LATER**

"Hey, Alec!" Jace knocked on Alec's door. "Want to go play some basketball?"

Jace heard groaning from the other side of the door. He suppressed a chuckle. God, did he love annoying Alec. Alec wasn't the type of person to wake up at seven A.M. to play some basketball. He was usually very considerate of the hours of sleep he needed.

The door opened, showing a half awake Alec still in pajamas. "Jace. Do you realize what time it is?"

"Yeah," he checked his phone. "Exactly 7:04. Do you think we could go already? I already missed four minutes of free shooting." Alec glared at Jace and closed his door. Jace, as patient as he is, waited. He knew Alec. He would cave in. That's how he was.

The door opened again. "Okay, but at least give me ten minutes." He yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Jace smirked and started walking away. "Five!" He called out over his shoulder.

Alec groaned again. "Seven!"

Jace chuckled. "Fine! Seven minutes! But hurry up, Sleeping Beauty!" There was a faint sound of a door closing and a barely audible; "Shut up," from the direction of what was Isabelle's room. Yup, today was turning up to be a good day for Jace.

o.8.o

Jace was in his element. Yeah, maybe it was beyond freezing, he could barely feel his finger, and the court's floor was cracked, but he was having a hell of a time kicking Alec's butt.

Alec was a great athlete, but even he knew that Jace was better than him. Alec was sure that Jace could beat him in Track, but Jace had told him a long time ago that he didn't like the idea of running for a trophy. _Then why_, Alec thought, _does he play soccer?_ That was the whole point of soccer, right? Running while kicking a ball.

"Alec, are you letting me win? If you are, I'm going to kill you!" Jace yelled from across the court where he dribbled the ball. To tell the truth, Alec was exhausted! He barely had any sleep yesterday. All courtesy of the hideous cat owned by the neighbor that kept meowing all night.

Jace was looking at the ball and the basket. It was already about 8:30. Maybe nine. Jace was barely warming up, but he could see that Alec was tired.

"No. I'm just not in my mood today. Do you think we can go home now?" Jace lifted his gaze to Alec for a second. He saw him panting and the bags under his eyes were prominent. Jace didn't feel like going home just yet. He would be locked in his room the whole day or be dragged to go Christmas shopping with Isabelle. He shuddered internally at the thought.

"You can go. I'm not quite ready to go home." Alec nodded and started walking away towards their house. "Get some sleep, Alec. Looks like you didn't get much yesterday." Alec just lifted his hand in what Jace registered as a goodbye.

Now alone, Jace was bluffing. Not really playing but not really just shooting whatever. Once in a while he would shoot a two or three pointer basket. But Jace's mind never stopped thinking. In times like this, when he was alone, a certain redhead would appear in his mind.

It had been exactly one week since the time she had run out of the café. Jace still couldn't figure out why and that frustrated him beyond belief. There was just something about her that he couldn't pinpoint.

She was an enigma!

o.8.o

"Clary! Clary, where are you going? It's freezing out there!" Luke, her stepfather, yelled as Clary ran for the front door.

"I… I just need to get away. I'll be back for dinner." Her voice was breaking. No, not only her voice. She was breaking. The smell was still in the air. She had to get out of the apartment. If she didn't, she would lose herself in the smell. She grabbed her bag from the hook, as well as her coat, and got away from the rich scent of _home_.

Her eyes were burning with tears that she withheld. The knot in her throat was choking her. She could swear that she couldn't breathe, but even then, she kept running. She ran to the only place where she had found peace since the awful day that her life fell apart.

Pecan Park.

It was a park she had found a few years back while she and Simon where venturing the streets for entertainment. It was a peaceful place. Not many people knew where it was, since it was kind of hidden. Still, during the summer, kids would fill it with happiness. But, right now, she just needed to be alone, and in the winter, with only a few days before Christmas, she knew it would be sort of empty.

She got there, breathing heavy. She saw it almost empty. In the playground, just two little kids playing tag, their parents in a bench nearby watching them, smiling. Clary tore her gaze from them to check the rest of the park. An older man was running around the park and a guy was playing basketball. No one was at the kiosk.

_Just perfect_, thought Clary. That was Clary's favorite spot.

Clary sympathized with the park. It was a sad little place, almost like a ghost town. The playground had a mix of faded blue and red, scratched at some parts were it was just silver metal. The basketball court was cracked, but still usable. The kiosk was the saddest part yet. It must have been beautiful on its time. Now it was just white with its yellow outline. The paint was coming off in various places and the gray wood underneath was visible. If you imagined the park as what it had been one day, you could almost believe that before they made carnivals here.

Clary entered the kiosk, and in a corner, she let herself fall. She pulled her hood up to hide her distracting curls and brought her knees up to her chest. She let her forehead fall onto her knees. Then, she finally let the tears fall. She could feel the knot that had built in her throat loosen.

Someone once said that as time passed, the pain would become more bearable. Well, Clary just felt like punching that person straight in the face because it wasn't true. The black whole inside of her grew larger with each agonizing day, and she didn't know how long it would be until it would consume her completely.

Clary wept and wept. She didn't know how long she had been there bawling her eyes out. Suddenly, there was a creaking of wood being stepped on, which could only mean someone was inside the kiosk with her. She didn't want anyone asking her what was wrong or comforting her. She just wanted to be alone.

A velvety soft voice rang into her ears, the last voice she wanted to hear, "Roxanne?"

o.8.o

Jace was praying that it wasn't her. He just couldn't see Roxanne like that, breaking down. It didn't seem right, didn't make sense. But his doubt was erased when she raised her head wiping the tears away from her eyes. It was her, alright. Her red curls framing her face, squished under her hood. The same green eyes that had challenged him just a week ago, looked at him with a silent plead. Anybody else wouldn't have noticed it, but he did.

He raised his hand, the one not supporting the ball, as in surrender. "Don't worry. I don't ask." Roxanne sighed in relief. Something about the black hood, about her eyes, reminded him of something, but he just couldn't bring his mind to commit a memory. Finally, he sat in the bench next to where she laid.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice sounded rough, and after crying her heart out, it was understandable.

"Just playing some basketball, you know? It's a beautiful day!" He said, looking at the chipped paint on the ceiling of the kiosk.

"The temperature is below freezing." She looked up, rolling her eyes. "I meant, what are you doing here? In the kiosk."

"Oh, well, this park is old. I have never seen anything like it. The kiosk brought a certain attention to me. It gave me the idea of a circus." _Actually, I saw you crying, and since I was ninety percent sure it was you, I wanted to see what was wrong_. He didn't say that, but that was the real reason.

"Circus, huh?" She laughed. "I could imagine this place as a circus, but I don't." Jace smiled at the sound of her laughing.

"Oh, yeah? How do_ you_ imagine this place?"

"Carnival. The colors; yellow, blue, red, white. They remind me of something like those carnivals from long ago." She paused. "Sometimes, I come here and imagine a little cotton candy stand there," she pointed to a part close to the playground, "a tossing game over there," she pointed to the other side of the basketball court, "and just a bunch of kids running around. Naïve and illusive to what the world has in line for them."

They both observed a pair of boys in the swings. One pushing the other younger one. "Don't you ever wish to be back at that age? To where our biggest problem was finding the blue crayon or else there would be no sky in our drawing?" She asked still looking at the kids, they laughed every time the older pushed the younger.

"Yes," he answered. "Life was easier. It was a big game. But if you think about it, it still is. All we have to do is to try and survive. That's all it is. A survival game."

Roxanne sighed. Her eyes looked lost in thought. "Exactly," she looked at him, locking gazes. He couldn't will himself to look away from her emerald eyes. A few seconds passed before she broke the silence. "Do you have the time?"

"Yes," he took his phone out. "It is 11:30."

Roxanne's eyes widened. "11:30?" She got up and straightened herself. "I have to run! Luke is going to kill me." She seemed to realize Jace was still there. She smiled. "Thanks, Jace. Hopefully, we will see each other soon."

"You're welcome, Roxanne." He smiled, although to tell the truth, he was not sure of what he had done. She grinned and took off running, leaving Jace alone in the kiosk.

* * *

_So? How was it? Did you guys like it? [Did you see it, Phineas? xDD]_  
_Anyways, if you liked, you know..._

_Review? _


	4. Chapter Three

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

Hey guys! So, I decided to not make the Christmas Special as I told a few. It would just ruin the whole plot. But if you want to read a Christmas Special and you are into Percy Jackson, then read 'Through The Fire And Flames' by 07XReflectional! It's awesome just like her! No joke! D  
This chapter is the longest I've written! It answers a few questions about Clary, not Jace. You've been warned!  
Also, I didn't specify this before but, they are all human! I was asked this and I just wanted to clear that.  
I also wanted to give a big thanks to all my anonymous reviewers! You guys are awesome!  
One more thing: I usually pick my songs by their rhythm and not by what they say. It's hard to pick songs by what they say, and besides, the rhythm gives me the vibe as to what I'm writing, so the lyrics of these songs probably won't make any sense! Again, you've been warned!  
Sorry for the long A/N. xD

_Songs:_

_Hotel California- Eagles_

_Blind- Lifehouse_

_Faster Ride- Cartel_

_Even If It Kills Me- Motion City Soundtrack_

Now… ENJOY! Go, Read!

* * *

~Chapter Three~

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

_She was walking out of the bar with her guitar in hand, Luke next to her, Jonathan's camera in hand. She had done incredible! Not even she could believe herself. Hotel California was one of her all time favorite songs and one of the few that she had actually taken the time to learn to play. Her performance had been flawless. Everybody in the bar had known the song by the time she was getting to the fourth eights. _

"_You were shining!" That's what Luke had said once I had come down of the stage. "Your mom and Jonathan probably got stuck in traffic. We should go out side and wait for them." Luke was smiling. He had always supported Clary and Jonathan in their music career. _

_This had been Clary's first gig, unfortunately, the same day as Jonathan's baseball game. Jonathan had said he would miss it to go see Clary play, but Clary had insisted that he should not sacrifice their undefeated status for her. Luke put in that he would record it if he didn't make it on time. Finally, Jonathan agreed. Jocelyn also had some work to do so she said she would pick Jonathan up and then go directly to the gig. That had been the plan. Simon had gone out of town and was coming back tomorrow so he definitely missed it._

_As Luke and Clary waited outside, people would come out just to praise Clary's performance. Clary was in a cloud! No one could bring it down, but one unexpected car. Yes, a car._

_Clary could hear the annoying screeching of the worn out brakes. "They're coming, Luke! Can you hear them?" Clary turned to look at Luke grimacing._

"_I need to change those brakes." He said. Clary just laughed. "Have they always sounded like that?"_

"_For the last two years, yeah." Luke just smiled at Clary._

_Soon the black truck was in sight. Clary was jumping up and down waiting to tell Jocelyn and Jonathan of how her gig had gone. Out of nowhere, Clary saw Jocelyn trying to stop the truck in one stop sign desperately. But it was too late. A red SUV, crossing in a red light, hit the truck just sideways on the passenger's side. Jonathan's side. A scream made its way past Clary's throat and started running towards her mom and brother._

_The scene changed. She saw people in black coming over to her with pity written in their faces. "I'm sorry, Clary," they would say. All of them. Every "sorry" was breaking Clary apart even more, reminding her that she had lost two of the most important people in her life. Once they all left, she fell and cried. She felt arms giving her a hug, and when she looked up, on the other side of the street, she saw gold eyes underneath a gray hood. They were staring at her. Then, the eyes left, running on the other direction, accompanied by an incessant shrill sound._

Clary bolted up by the sound of her alarm clock. Sweat was sticking her hair to her neck making her uncomfortable. She rubbed her hands on her face, noticing that they were tear-stained. She looked at her alarm clock reading 6:30. She sighed and tried not to think of her dream. She hadn't had that dream in weeks. But what was ticking her off more was that she had never had that last part. She had almost forgotten about those rare eyes just staring at her.

She got out of bed, prying the sticky covers off her and made her way to the bathroom. _First day of second semester_, she thought sarcastically, _oh joy_. She turned on the water. Waiting for it to get warm, she took a look at herself in the mirror. Her wide green eyes were adorned with purple bags underneath them from loss of sleep. She felt tired and broken.

She checked the water and once she was satisfied, stripped her clothes. She stood in the water a few minutes, letting the hot water smooth out her taut muscles. She started applying shampoo to her hair.

Today was her first day as a courtesy in the business office and she wasn't going to mess it up. The ladies there already knew her from all the times she was sent to make copies.

She finished and went back to her room, walking over to her closet. Not really much to choose, she grabbed her black jeans and a band t-shirt. Present from Simon. She sort of towel-dried her hair and left it down for it to dry completely. She put on her black, high-tops converse and her black zipper sweater and walked to the kitchen.

There was evidence of someone waking up early and making breakfast. Luke always got up at about five to go sort out new deliveries. He had made scrambled eggs for himself and there were waffles in the toaster for Clary. He knew how much Clary didn't like eggs. She ate her waffles with some chocolate milk. Once done, she went back to her room to brush her teeth.

According to the clock in the wall, it was 7:30. Clary was making great time, knowing that school starts at 8:45. One downside of being courtesy was having to be there for zero period.

Grabbing her backpack and phone, she checked her phone reading that she had a new message.

_**You got courtesy, right? –S.**_

She quickly sent a message.

_**Yeah. Have it for the rest of the year. See you in class. –C.**_

She went through the back door to pass the bookstore. Luke was in the register. She quickly tapped the glass, and when he turned, waved goodbye. He smiled and nodded.

St. Xavier's wasn't too far from home. It was about four blocks away and Clary could easily walk them, but today her mind was everywhere but walking. She quickly put her headphones on and let the music of her black iPod take her.

The day was beautiful, in Clary's opinion. It was cloudy, no sun in view. She loved it like this. The breeze was comfortable even in this cold. A lot of people would be bothered by the weather, but Clary saw no point in getting mad at the weather.

Clary made it to school in less than ten minutes. She walked through the halls looking at the red and beige lockers. She got to hers, 501, and grabbed the books she needed. She locked it and left to the office.

The halls were empty, noticing the time was ridiculous since zero period started five minutes before eight. Nevertheless, she kept walking until she got to the backdoor of the business office. It was obvious that it would be full. Being a new semester, a lot of new kids would be here transferring.

"Clary, dear!" She turned and saw Laurie, one of the ladies working calling her over. Clary walked to her desk and Laurie gave her a friendly smile. "You are one of our courtesies this semester? About time! Well, usually we send you guys to get stuff from all over campus but the first weeks of the semesters are different. New kids and all," she said searching through her computer. Laurie was one of those people that is always in a good mood. "Look," she said, bringing Clary back from her reverie, and turned to get a paper in her printer, "you guys will be showing new kids around. This is the list and your name should be next to one of those people. After that, well, you know what to do! You've done it before, remember?"

"Oh, yes! I remember. Okay, thanks Laurie." Clary said smiling. Clary had showed around a new girl in sophomore year. Laurie had showed her everything she had to do with the paperwork and all.

"Oh, no, thank you!" She said, tossing a sorry smile her way before she got back into typing again. I turned around to the front desk. Clary spotted a pen and looked for her name. Once she found her name, she looked at the name of who she had to escort.

Jonathan Christopher Wayland.

A blow to the heart. Jonathan Christopher, just like _her_ Jonathan.

Without looking up from the paper, she called, "Jonathan Christopher Wayland" and went to signing next to her name. She refused to get emotional, especially after her dream. She saw a shadow on top of her and realized this Jonathan dude was already there. Without looking up she asked for his papers. She checked them and went to a drawer to look for his schedule. She found it and grabbed a map and rules from the school, as well as an agenda.

"Okay. Well, I'm Clary Fray and**_–_**" she stopped once she looked up to meet familiar gold eyes that she hadn't seen in two weeks. Her eyes widened as he just smirked. That goddamned smirk. "Jace?"

"The one and only." He grinned. "But are you Clary?"

"I-I am." She stuttered, blushing furiously. Her eyes wandered everywhere but him, hoping he wouldn't notice her reddened cheeks.

"Well, I remember well that you told me your name was Roxanne." He said, still grinning. He started leaning into the counter.

"Uh, let's get out of here first. Let me go around." She moved around the counter to get out. She waved goodbye to the ladies, and left. He was there waiting. He was wearing dark jeans and a plain dark blue shirt. _He looks,_ she thought, _stunning! _She blushed just by thinking that. _Pull yourself together, Clary! _She gave him his stuff and muttered very intelligible, "um, this way."

o.8.o

They had walked in silence all the way to the library, their first destination. He stopped just in front of it, making Clary stop too.

"So, Roxa-, sorry," he looked at the paper with her name, "Clary, that is?" He asked, watching her carefully, smirk still visible.

"Y-yeah, about that, my name is Clary, not Roxanne. I was just, uh, having some fun the other day. Never thought you would fall for it." She muttered nervously, still looking past him. She had fooled him? _Clever_, he thought.

"Didn't want your boyfriend to get jealous, huh?" He asked. It was the most obvious thing he could think of why she would do it.

She looked confused. "Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, the dork looking kid who was with you in the café. I honestly think you could do better than that." She finally made eye contact with him.

"Dork? And what makes you think you know what's good for me?" She glared at him.

"So he is your boyfriend? I don't think he'll like that you forgot about him." She blushed and Jace couldn't help but grin.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend!" She said, anger flashing through her green eyes. "Look, I have better things to do than show the school to a douche."

"Really? Where is he? Maybe you could introdu–"

"Shut up, Jace!" She said annoyed, throwing her hands up in the air and letting them fall on her sides again.

"Okay, sorry," he said, grinning. "But I'm just saying. You are totally out of his league."

"Whatever," she decided to drop the subject. "Let me see your schedule." She ordered, turning half around to avoid looking at Jace. There was something so much fun about annoying her. It was like taking a candy from a kid and mocking him to get it!

"Here," he handed the paper to her, still smiling at her actions.

"Darn," she muttered to herself after examining the paper.

"Darn?" He asked.

She turned, looking at him with a tired expression. "Yes. Darn. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Yeah. There is. Who the hell uses the word darn anymore?"

"Apparently awesome people like me. Douches like you and the rest of the school say the other D-word. But I won't say it." She said.

"But what is so wrong about–Ah, I remember. You don't like bad words." He raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly," she responded in a sing-song voice.

"So, why did you say darn?"

"I have three classes with you." She said with what sounded like disappointment.

"Why the long face? Wanted to have me all day? I'm sorry bu–"

"Because if you are this annoying for ten minutes, I don't even want to imagine how one hundred and thirty-five minutes are with you." She interrupting, starting to walk to another direction. _Did she just do the math in her head?_

"Really? Other girls would be delighted to have me for half of that time." He said with mock hurt, not voicing his other query.

She turned around abruptly almost making him bump on her. "And this is were you find out how different I'm from all of those sluts." She smiled and patted Jace's cheek like a little kid. Then she kept walking.

"Hmm. Wait. Isn't 'slut' a bad word?" He asked, following her.

"Nah. That's like saying that stupid is a bad word. Not true."

"Could be," he said. "So, where are you taking me?"

"To your first period. Well, _our_ first period." She said. Her voice sounding like she was doomed to hell.

o.8.o

_Just my luck. Just my freaking luck,_ Clary thought. Jace was the most arrogant person she had ever encountered other than Jonathan, but that had been her brother. That was how he had been, but still a nice person. Now, Jace? Jace was different. He had an air of indifference that made him almost impossible to bear! But those pretty eyes and clever mouth were not going to fool her. Two weeks ago she had seen a thoughtful Jace, but at this moment he was acting all smart-alecky.

As they walked Jace asked. "So, why did you lie about your name?"

She had tried to steer the conversation to not get there. "Well, it was part entertainment and part protection."

"I get the entertainment, but protection?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to go around telling everybody my name. What if they are serial killers?"

"I look like a serial killer?" He asked, thoughtful.

"No, that's where the entertainment part came up," she smiled. "I had been thinking of just blowing you off, but I preferred to play with it. I never thought we would see each other again, you know?"

"Who would've thought that New York was so small?" He said, over exaggerating. Just a little bit. Sarcasm dripping off that statement.

"Anyways, why are you transferring?" She asked. She thought that if she was going to have to walk with him all day she would at least make normal conversation.

"Got kicked out from my other school." He shrugged, like if that was his life.

"For some reason, that doesn't surprise me even a little bit." She said, voicing her thoughts aloud before noticing.

He grinned looking her way. "Guys over there were just too jealous of my looks, you know?"

She laughed. "Sure!" She said sarcastically.

"You don't believe that I'm good looking?" He asked.

"They say modesty is an attractive trait, you know?"

"For ugly people." He muttered, Clary barely catching his words, "but why be modest when you have as good looks as me? Might as well show the world some beauty." He said, spreading his arms as if waiting for a hug.

Clary snorted. "Are you always this sarcastic?"

Jace stopped and she turned to see what was wrong. "That hurt," he said, once she made eye contact with him.

Clary shrugged, not a bit intimidated by his stare, "I thought your ego needed some cooling down."

He resumed walking. "No, that's what makes me such a good kisser."

She raised her hands in question. "Whoa! How did we start talking about how you kiss?"

"I don't know. I think you asked me to kiss you." He said shrugging.

"What?" She turned to look at him.

"Nothing." His head was looking at the floor, but the corners of his mouth were tilted up.

"Yeah. I thought so." She smiled to herself. "Well," she stopped in front of a door, "this is our first period."

"We can't go in?" Jace asked.

"No. We are still in zero period, meaning he has another class at this moment. Besides," she lowered her voice and motioned with her hand for him to come closer, "he is the worst computer teacher ever! He is so judgmental and is always giving us lectures about him picking up sugar cane when he was five. He talks like he has been alive since who-knows-when, and who knows? Maybe he has."

"So what does that mean?" He asked, trying to not laugh.

"If you go in there right now, you're dead. I mean it. It's suicide. Well, not for me. He likes me for some reason."

"And why would it be for me, eh?" He asked, smirking.

"Because you have that bad boy façade. He'll think the worst of you, and you better get on his good side or he'll fail you."

"Bad boy, huh? But I thought I was like an angel since my looks are all golden."

This time she did laugh. Like really hard. She had to lean on the lockers for support. "An angel... You... Oh, god!" She said between breaths.

Suddenly, the door knob started twisting, and Clary realized just how loud she had been. Her eyes widened and without thinking, she threw her hood on to hide her revealing locks and grabbed Jace's hand. They heard the teacher yelling at them to come back, but they didn't stop running. They ran until they were outside the hall and then kept running until they were on the other side of campus. Then she collapsed.

She laid on her back and watched the gray clouds on top and laughed. She had never ran away from a teacher before, less one of her own teachers.

When she turned to see Jace he found him standing looking at her, smiling. Not smirking, but smiling. When he did that, two cute dimples came into view making him look like a child. She felt herself smile watching him.

"I take it you've never done stuff like that?" He asked.

"No. I'm your everyday goodie-good shoes." She said, sitting up.

He sat next to her and stared ahead. "I'm sort of the teacher's pet."

"What! You've got to be kidding me!" Clary said.

He grinned. "Teachers love me. It's just the students that don't. Well, the guys, that is."

"I find that hard to believe." She grinned. Just thinking of Jace as the teacher's pet was unimaginable!

"Well, you should believe it because it's true. I do my homework like every good kid. I raise my hand in class and not to make sarcastic remarks, those guys are just stupid." They just sat in silence until Clary broke it.

"They're annoying," she said.

"Who are?" He asked, confused.

"The kids who ask stupid questions in class," she said in a 'duh' tone.

"Well, wasn't that a late response?" He said, looking at her from the corner of his eye, grinning.

She punched him in the arm. There was nothing else she could do. Snarky remarks took her nowhere. At least she was sure Jace wouldn't hit her back. He just looked like the kind of guy that didn't hit girls. Jace chuckled lowly. The sound brought a shiver down Clary's spine. Whether good or bad, she didn't know.

They sat in silence for a while. Clary looked all around her, noticing teenagers walking around campus. She noticed a little group of girls looking her way. They were giggling. Clary frowned, not comprehending a bit what was that about.

Jace seemingly noticed Clary frowning. "What?"

Her eyes widened. It was because of Jace. She turned her gaze to Jace and had to remember that he was cute. Well, more than cute, but–

"Did you know that you are staring at me? I mean, I know I can't help it but–" He started before Clary cut him off.

"Those girls are checking you out." She said.

Jace followed her gaze. "Well, of course they are. I'm charmingly stunning!" He winked at them and the girls started giggling and hiding behind their hair and the trunk of a tree.

"Pathetic," whispered Clary to herself, sounding her thoughts once again. She seemed to realize how that sounded. "Not you! I meant them!"

Jace looked at Clary curiously. _Peculiar doesn't even start covering her_, he thought.

Clary saw Jace opening his mouth to say something, when the bell, signaling that first period started, rang. She sighed and got up.

"Come on," said Clary to Jace, who nodded wordlessly. "Oh, science! Help us get over this day as soon as possible!" She said exasperated.

Jace frowned. "Science?"

"I'm atheist." She said, and started walking towards the building they had just ran out of a few minutes ago, Jace trailing behind her.

_Well, this day will certainly not disappoint_, he thought, the corners of his mouth twitching.

* * *

_So, guys! You like it? If you have any queries, don't be afraid to ask! I'll try to explain if anything is confusing, deal? As always…_

_Review?_


	5. Chapter Four

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

I'm back! Sorry for the long wait, but this chapter was hard to come. Then I heard a song and I knew what to do. ;) Songs are honestly incredible! Anyways, just wanted to say thanks to all of you reading and to my anonymous reviewers since I can't tell them in a reply.

_Songs:_

_Naive- The Kooks_

_Sweetness- Jimmy Eat World_

_From Where You Are- Lifehouse_

Now, please, enjoy. :)

* * *

~Chapter Four~

"Jace, I'm just telling you that Coach Thimble is making a big exception with you. He would have already given the spot to Sebastian, but he knows that you are much better than him. So, just, don't talk back. Be respectful. I know how you are not in so good terms with Sebastian." Alec kept babbling. They were in their hall lockers before lunch and Jace was getting pissed. He knew everything that Alec was saying but it was kind of impossible to not mess around with Coach Thimble barely passing five feet. Jace smirked.

"Look, Alec. I know. But you have to admit that coach is funny looking," Jace glanced at Alec, noticing the blue glare that came from his eyes, "Besides, Sebastian will never get center with me in the picture." Sebastian was the most obnoxious guy Jace had ever had the chance of meeting. Sure, it was because he was the next in line in being the best in the team after Jace, or maybe because they were just the same. "Sarcastic narcissists." That's what Alec had said just the other day. Jace closed his locker as they moved onto lunch.

"You're too overconfident. I'm going to end up laughing if Sebastian gets center." Alec commented as he fell into step with Jace.

"Well, you will have to wait for me to be dead for that to happen. And even then, it wouldn't. They would prefer to have zombie Jace than a very crappy, very alive player as Sebastian." Jace smirked. He knew it was true.

"Uhu," Alec was staring straight ahead. Jace followed his gaze when his eyes landed on a skinny but freakishly tall guy. He wore neon purple skinny jeans and a black shirt. A rainbow belt stuck out the most but not after his glitter-covered hair. His black-lined green eyes were focused on a beautiful girl. Blonde with full green eyes. His arm was over her shoulders and they were laughing. The guy seemed to notice the attention and looked over at Alec. When he passed by them, he winked just as Alec blushed.

When he was gone, Jace turned to Alec. "What was that all about?" He was grinning. Alec knew that grin. Jace was making his own assumptions, again.

Alec growled and glared at Jace. "Nothing. I'm hungry. We won't get pizza if we don't hurry." Alec started walking past Jace. A few steps ahead, he noticed that Jace wasn't following. He turned around saw Jace staring at him.

"You don't like pizza. In fact, you hate it." Jace stared for a while longer. _What is he doing?_ Alec thought. But just as he was about to ask, Jace started walking again like if nothing had happened. Alec shrugged it off. _Better for him to not ask_, he thought.

While Jace ranted about something that Alec was supposed to be hearing, Alec flashbacked to that wink and smiled secretly to himself.

o.8.o

"If you know what's best for yourself, you will not get that orange ice cream," babbled Simon. Isabelle looked over at him with a confused expression, but he was off paying for his lunch.

"It's true. It's like the in-between of ten percent milk and spoiled vanilla ice cream. The only thing that makes it 'orange flavored' is the orange food coloring. When it comes to food, you've got to believe Simon." Clary smiled as she saw Simon eating with his hand, the other supporting the tray, while he waited for them to get their food.

"Ugh, I know what that tastes like." Isabelle wrinkled her nose while she turned around and yelled a quick, "Thank you," to Simon. He smiled. Isabelle turned back to Clary. "When you live with thre–" She hesitated, "two brothers and you are the only girl, you end up being the experiment hamster." Clary decided to ignore her hesitation. Instead she laughed.

"Oh, believe me. I know what you are talking about." Clary smiled sadly, remembering the good times being bullied by Jonathan. Isabelle noticed, and tried to change the subject. She didn't know much about Clary, but she didn't think she wanted to find out what made her sad all of the sudden. She glanced around the cafeteria, looking for victims to gossip about. Her eyes made contact with the most fake girl in the whole school. Isabelle grinned.

She leaned over to Clary. "Don't make it too obvious, but do you see that girl over there?" Isabelle pointed and Clary followed her manicured finger.

Victoria Turner. She had jet-black hair, like Isabelle's, but hers was in a bob and made her look ridiculous. Her gray eyes were plastered with pink and purple hues, making her look like the demon's Barbie doll. She was wearing a jean skirt, which was actually just a piece of fabric, at the most. A lilac V-neck, which cleavage must've been illegal, was covered by an oversized football jacket. She probably threatened a football player into giving her the jacket. The corners of Clary's mouth started to lift as she nodded.

"Well," They both paid for their lunches. They started walking to where Simon had sat down. "I saw her boyfriend dumping her in the morning. He said that she was a lousy kisser. I couldn't contain my laughter! It was just… Incredible!"

Clary's eyes widened. "Raphael broke up with her?" Isabelle nodded as they sat in the table with Simon. "About time!"

"About time what?" Simon asked in between mouthfuls.

"Skank got ditched by Hot Spanish Goth." Clary said while unwrapping her ham sandwich.

"Skank number one or number two?" Simon asked.

"Two." Isabelle was lost. Clary explained, "Kalie is skank number one. You know her, right?"

Isabelle laughed. "Oh, yes! She is the one with the nasty wart in her leg, right?" Simon and Clary looked equally puzzled and surprised. "Blonde died hair? Ugly blue-purple eyes?" Clary nodded, confirming it was her. Simon looked disgusted.

"She has… she has a wart? That's disturbing." He pushed his food away, having lost his appetite.

Clary snorted. "Oh, please! Everything evil needs something nasty. Snow White's Evil Queen had a wart too! Only in her nose, didn't she?"

Simon chocked on his water and Isabelle giggled. Clary was smiling. Just thinking of Kalie with her whiny voice, all wrinkled, giving a nice girl a really evil but appetizing red apple was enough to make her day.

When Simon had calmed down, Isabelle spoke, "That's not all I heard, either."

"Talk." Ordered Simon, businesslike. Isabelle smiled then frowned.

"Her little rats came later and she told them that her next boyfriend would be a Sebastian Verona? Verlai–"

"Verlac," answered Clary. "Ha! I want to see her try. Seb is not like that."

"You know him?" Isabelle asked with an eyebrow cocked.

"Yeah. We are sort of friends, you would say. He is okay, I suppose."

"Clary is being modest," intervened Simon, "Any girl would die for the attention he gives you, and you know it."

"He is just being friendly! He is a nice guy." Clary protested.

"Is he here?" Isabelle asked, her head turning from left to right, looking around the cafeteria.

Clary pointed to a table, the one next to the skanks, where jocks sat, eating. Sitting where a blonde boy with dark eyes had once sat, was Sebastian. "He is the dark haired at the end of the table." Clary's voice shook. Simon noticed.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly. Isabelle was still looking at Sebastian, a knowing smile in her face.

"Yes." Clary lied, "I just need to get out for a few minutes. See you in class." Simon nodded. He understood. She left the cafeteria. Clary walked through the crowds of kids in the picnic tables outside. She pulled her dark coat tighter around herself. She didn't feel like crying, just spacing out. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

There was more about Kalie than Isabelle knew. Simon knew. Luke knew. Hell, all school knew! But Isabelle didn't, and it would be best if she didn't find out until later.

_Freak my life,_ Clary thought. Kalie had gone out the cafeteria from another door and was coming her way. Victoria was next to her, with the other three rats, as Isabelle had called them, on their heels. Kalie's smirk was smug. Dirty, and Clary had to control herself from rolling her eyes at how stupid she looked.

"Clary! I've been meaning to talk to you for a few days now!" She drawled with her screechy voice. Her heels clacking noisily while she walked towards Clary.

"I can't say the same," muttered Clary to herself.

"What? I didn't hear you." By then, they had stopped in front of her.

Clary rolled her eyes. "Nothing. I would love to stay and, uh, _chat_, but I need to get going." She tried to walk past them, but Kalie just blocked her path.

"Well, unfortunately, this _chat_ can't wait." Kalie smiled, the image was bizarre. "Your brother used to be Sebastian's best friend right?"

Clary stiffened immediately at the mention of Jonathan. She noticed what Kalie was trying to do. Clary fixed her expression in an annoyed one. "What do you care?"

"He will soon be feeding from the palm of Victoria's hand, we know. But we need to learn a few things about him–" She was cut off by a female voice coming from behind Clary.

"Look, if you are here to talk about Sebastian's herpes, then I suggest you talk to his doctor, not to Clary." Kalie glared past Clary, and when she turned around, she saw a tall brunette standing with her hands on her hips. Aline. Her almond-shaped eyes were glaring at Kalie and her gang. Her mouth was turned into a scowl.

Clary turned back to Kalie. "We'll talk later, Shorty." Then, Kalie stalked off with her clique close. Clary rolled her eyes. _Way to point the obvious,_ she thought.

Turning back to Aline, Clary said, "Thanks, Aline. My ears were really starting to bleed."

Aline smiled. "I heard her talking to you about–" Aline's smiled faltered. "You know who."

Clary nodded, too numb to say anything. Aline was almost Clary's older sister when it came to stuff like this. She, after all, had been Jonathan's girlfriend for three years. Aline stepped forward and hugged Clary. Clary realized that Aline was shaking, crying.

"It's been," sniff, "so long! You would," sob, "think that it would get easier. But," exhales, "it doesn't." Sniff, "it definitely doesn't." Clary hugged Aline closer. She wasn't crying, but she felt what Aline did. Aline was the only other girl in school, or in the whole world, that had actually loved Jonathan truly, other than Jocelyn.

"I'm sorry, Aline. I'm so sorry." Aline jerked back. Her dark eyes clouded in confusion and denial.

"What are you talking about? It wasn't your fault, Clary! It was nobody's fault. Destiny just had it written like that." Aline cupped Clary's face between her hands. "You have to stop. Now. Everything that happened… Well, it happened. I can't say that I like it, but I can't say I hate it either. I believe that there was a reason. You just have to keep looking forward. You understand?"

Clary nodded and hugged Aline. Tears were welling up behind her eyes, so she quickly said her farewell and left to the place were she had always been able to escape. Her sanctuary.

The choir room.

o.8.o

Jace and Alec were seated in one of the picnic tables outside the cafeteria. Jace was hiding from a certain blonde haired, purple eyed chick that wouldn't stop stalking him. Alec knew, and he was happy that for once, Jace wasn't going out with the most "popular" girl in the school. It was around the third week of January. It was cold to be outside, but not unpleasant. The breeze felt good in Jace's hair, as it swished from left to right, dancing with the air as in a waltz.

They were just enjoying the beautiful day. It was one of those days were the sun is out but clouds are moving by, so at times, the light would come and then leave and come again. It could be said that they were having brotherly quality time, but they spent every second together, so it didn't count.

Suddenly, Jace remembered. "Damn it! I forgot I had to get my guitar before lunch ended, if not Mrs. Herondale would lock the room." He stood up, grabbing his backpack in the process. "Catch you later," and he was off.

o.8.o

The room was welcoming. Soft yellow light came through the half opened blinds. Shadows of the trees outside swaying were cast in the floor and walls. The black piano was in the corner. As she moved forward to sit on the bench, she caught sight of a burgundy guitar, set gently aside.

She knew Mrs. Herondale knew how to play the guitar, and once in a while, she would bring her own. This was not it. Hers was far rounder on the bottom, while this one was curved nicely at the height in between the bridge and the sound hole. Hers was a pale yellow, cold. And this one was a rich red-brown. Inviting. It was familiar, like if she had seen it somewhere else. Clary made up her mind and grabbed the guitar from its stand.

She tested the strings. It had been a while since she last played. Touching the neck with her left hand, she realized how much she had missed the metal in her fingertips. She racked her brain for a song, but her brain was not following. She started to thrum notes at random, and soon, she was playing one song that explained her feelings completely.

o.8.o

Jace was sure he had time before lunch ended, but to full honesty, he didn't trust Mrs. Herondale. He was sure that she would probably leave if she was just waiting for him. The idea of playing before lunch ended was appealing as well, so he ran to the choir room.

The sound of notes being played was fair. Maybe Mrs. Herondale was still there after all.

He was about to enter the room when the voice of someone was heard among the soft music playing along.

_So far away from where you are,_

_These miles have torn us worlds apart._

That was definitely not Mrs. Herondale's rough opera voice. This one was soft, sweet, with the hint of sadness after each verse.

_And I miss you, yeah I miss you._

Jace dared to take a look at who was playing. He stepped into the room and saw the last person he would imagine seeing.

Clary.

Her back was to him, but her red curls were unmistakable. Jace would have known them even amongst a crowd of redheads. Jace remembered the time when he had been playing and she left.

_I feel the beating of your heart,_

_I see the shadows of your face._

_Just know that wherever you are,_

_Yeah I miss you._

_And I wish you were here._

The song was made for a man to sing, but Clary, with her voice one octave higher, made it sound like hers. And what made it worse than anything, there was true feeling under her words. Her voice trembled softly; her words would break after each phrase.

_So far away from where you are,_

_These miles have torn us worlds apart._

_And I miss you, yeah I miss you._

The music started to slow down.

_And I wish you_–

The music stopped completely as she sang the last words.

–w_ere here._

o.8.o

Clary's body sagged against the guitar. The tears were flowing easily. No sobs, just salty water.

She didn't bother wiping her tears; she knew more would come to replace the others. The song had explained everything she felt, everything she had been feeling since Jonathan and Jocelyn had left the world of mortals. Clary wasn't sure if she believed in reincarnation, so she couldn't actually complete the thought with "forever".

Hearing a sigh behind her, Clary realized she wasn't alone. She wiped her tears quickly and turned around to see who was there.

"Jace." He stood there, against the wall, arms crossed. The yellow light coming from the window highlighted his blonde hair, making it look like a halo. His eyes reflected the light from outside, making them look like lion eyes. His stare was intense and boring into hers. At times like this, he looked good. Not in the "oh so hot" way, but in the beautiful way. _My__ mom would have loved to draw him like that,_ she thought.

She then remembered what he had seen, or heard. Questions formulated themselves in her mind. What was he doing here? What did he hear? What did he see? What did he want? Why was he just staring at her?

"Clary." He said her name just as Clary had said his.

"What are you doing here?" She decided to ask first. It was reasonable and he couldn't blow her off on this one.

"I came to school and you?" _And so he can,_ she thought. Clary rolled her eyes, figuring he would notice. He did. "I came for my guitar. I didn't want anyone scratching it. Thankfully, it was in good hands."

Her eyes widened as she made the meaning of that. This was Jace's guitar. The one she was still holding, tear stained. That's why the guitar looked so familiar! It was the one Jace had in the café when they first met.

"Oh! I'm– I'm sorry. I didn't mean to– I mean–" She took a deep breath and handed the guitar to Jace after wiping her tears off, "Sorry."

"Don't be. Like I said; it was in good hands." He took it. "You play good, you know? I would have never imagined that you could play." He grabbed a chair and sat in front of Clary, guitar resting in his lap.

"Why would you have thought that?" She felt defensive. Was he saying that because she was a girl she couldn't play? Jace realized.

"Oh, no. Don't take it the wrong way. I just didn't think you were into playing, that's all."

They were silent for a few moments. Clary thought they wouldn't speak until the bell rang, but she was mistaken when Jace spoke.

"You sing beautiful." He spoke low, almost dark. Clary thought his voice sounded sexy when he said her voice was beautiful. Then she realized–

"Wait. What did you say?"

"I said you have a great voice. It is beautiful." Clary was awestruck. Nobody but her Luke, Jonathan, Simon, and Jocelyn had ever said that. But that was her family; even Simon was almost her brother. Clary was speechless. Before she could formulate an answer, the bell rang and Jace was gone.

* * *

_I'll try harder to update more often, but I don't promise anything.  
So, I suppose Alec was a tad bit OOC. Maybe someone else was too, but I have my reasons. If you liked it and you may have any ideas, suggestions, comments, OR flames..._

_Review?_


	6. Chapter Five

_***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***_

_Songs:_

_Gossip- You Me at Six_

_Consolation Prizes- Phoenix_

_Siento Que__- Jumbo [Spanish Song]_

_Ignorance- Paramore_

_Enjoy! :D_

~Chapter Five~

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

Clary wasn't one to get paranoid over three words, and less during Calculus. For some reason, she just couldn't take them off her mind! It was like she had been brainwashed by aliens from another planet. She sighed. _Great! Now you are thinking of aliens, Clary._ She shook her head to clear it and returned her attention to Mr. Claiborne…

…Who was staring at her? Had he called on her?

"Earth to Clary? Are you there?" He asked with glasses tipping off his long nose.

"Uh," clever. "Yes? What was the question?" Laughter bubbled from around her, and only when she turned around did she see everybody changing seats. She felt her cheeks flaring.

"I am rearranging the seating chart. Would you mind giving Alec his seat?" Just then did she notice a dark haired boy hovering above her. He looked annoyed and frustrated. She jumped off her seat, grabbing her backpack and binder on the way. She mumbled her apologies to the boy, Alec, and went to the only seat not taken.

She sat down. Her desk was the corner on the right side of the room. Clary hated corners– they made her made her feel trapped. The window was emanating cold air. She shivered involuntarily, pulling her coat closer around her. She looked outside the window. A naked tree stood there, its branches moving lazily through the wind. The pale wood contrasted with the gray clouds hanging above the city. _Depressing_, she thought.

"I know Calculus is, but you are the one doubling math." The voice cut through her reverie. She then noticed she had spoken out loud. She looked to her right and saw the last person she expected to be sitting next to. Golden eyes reflected her in a pool of yellow richness.

"Jace." He was leaning against his table, looking at her intently. She snuck a glance to Mr. Claiborne. He was going on with the class, definitely not paying attention to them. "So I'm stuck with you until the end of the semester?" She asked, not answering his statement.

"Yeah. Poor you." He smirked. Clary smiled. She heard a snort coming from somewhere in front of the class. She turned her head to where her seat used to be, the front of the class. She caught a blue glare just before it turned away. Clary was puzzled as to what had just happened.

She turned back her attention to Jace, who was staring ahead, fingers drumming silently on the table. His foot was also tapping at a fast pace, his other hand twirling a pencil. She had never been able to just _study_ Jace. His face was pretty; tanned, high cheekbones, a not-too-long nose, his long lashes covering his eyes as they were half closed. And his lips–

"Do you have a mirror?" She, once again, had been cut through her train of thought.

"No. Why would I have one? Why would _you_ want one?" She asked.

"It's a logical question. You are a girl, and girls tend to carry mirrors everywhere. As to why I want one, you were starring at me. I just want to know if I don't have a zit coming out that I didn't notice this morning." He finally looked at her. "Do I have a zit?"

"No." She turned to the lesson as her cheeks reddened. She didn't turn her head, but she was sure Jace was smirking next to her.

o.8.o

"What was that all about?" Alec sneered as they walked to their next class.

"I don't know what you are talking about, dear Alec," said Jace. "If you are talking about the horrible suit Mr. Claiborne was wearing, then I'm with you on it. Who wears a yellow jacket with a green shirt unde–,"

"No, smartass. Although it's obvious he was sort of blind this morning, that's not what I was talking about. I meant what's up with the short fireball."

_Fireball?_ Jace grinned. Alec always took everything out on girls. He shook his head. "What's wrong, Alec? Jealous?" Jace wriggled his eyebrows at Alec, trying and failing to hide his amusement. Alec snorted in frustration that was quiet evident in the lines stretching across his almost non-existent forehead underneath his bangs.

"No. It's just she doesn't seem your type." He murmured almost inaudible, but Jace heard him. He stopped walking to look at Alec incredulously.

"Oh, yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, "then what kind of girl is 'my type'? The skanks? The sluts? Those are the type of girls I should go out with?" His golden eyes, usually filled with sarcasm, were tinted with blind anger.

Alec looked confused at such sudden change in mood. _Bipolar teenagers_, he thought sourly. "No. I'm just saying the truth. You always go out with the girl who can't keep her hands off you and wears what should be illegal. The redhead back there," he pointed behind Jace to the now empty classroom, "didn't even want to glance at you. Which is a real feat considering your looks."

"Whatever." Jace dismissed the talk and kept walking. They were silent all the way to their next class. Truth be told, Jace couldn't stop thinking about Alec's words–_The redhead back there didn't even want to glance at you_. Alec was right. No other girl had ignored him once. Well, maybe once in a while, but nobody like Clary did. She was always trying to push him away. Glaring at him, outsmarting him, and even getting angry at him.

He honestly didn't know what to think anymore, and that was a problem.

.o.8.o

"So," Isabelle started while walking to Biology, "do you guys want to go hear some music at this old restaurant? My brother will be playing and I don't want to be alone. You guys in?"

Clary could feel Simon's worried glance but she just kept staring in front of her. She was thinking of a conversation she had with Luke just the last Sunday.

_Luke had invited her to eat at a pizza parlor in the city and she had accepted. It was weird for them to do something like that since they used to do it with her mother and Jonathan, but it was still kind of nice. Quality time even if they were together all the time. _

_They joked around about the waiter tripping every once in a while on his shoelaces that were untied. Clary thought he either didn't notice it or was thinking that he was just having a bad night, which indeed, he was._

_He started walking towards them and tripped. Luke chuckled under his breath and Clary grinned. It was not going to get old. _

_"Decided what you are having yet?" _

_"Yeah," stated Luke, "a shoel–," Clary snorted. "I mean a large pepperoni pizza." Luke was trying too hard not to laugh making Clary laugh harder. The waiter was staring at them like you would look at an ant if it were challenging you in WoW._

_"O-okay. So, a large pepperoni pizza for you two. Anything else?" Luke raised an eyebrow at Clary, asking her if she wanted anything else. _

_"No, I'm okay." She reconsidered. "No, wait! Could you give us an order of cinnamon sticks?" Luke's eyes widened. Clary developed a fascination for the napkin holder in the middle of the table. The waiter wrote in his notepad and scurried away, tripping, again, but it wasn't funny anymore. It was almost like Clary had jinxed it._

_"I never thought you would order them again." Was all Luke said after a moment of silence._

_"Well, me neither." The truth was, back in the day when they were four and not two, they would always buy around three orders of cinnamon sticks. They all loved them, but after what had happened, well, they just couldn't buy them anymore. That's why it seems so weird for them both._

_"Clary, I'm happy that you are moving on. I know it's been hard but," he paused, "about your music. I think that you are being too hard on yourself. Your guitar was the only thing that made you look alive, and when you couldn't take it with you, at least your voice followed you everywhere. You would never stop singing! Ever! And now, I can't remember the last time I last heard you sing." Clary knew he was lying. Of course he remembered the last time but he probably wasn't going to take his words back. _

_The waiter brought their pizza and cinnamon sticks and the conversation died and the only sound filtering was chewing and occasional sips of soda._

Clary came back to reality. Isabelle was waiting for an answer. Thinking back to what Luke had said, she realized she wasn't only hurting herself by isolating herself from music, but she was killing Luke as well. He thought it was his fault, and the last thing she wanted was to make Luke feel guilty.

"I'm in." She answered finally, surprising herself with how serious her tone was. She turned to Simon and saw him with questioning eyes. She smiled, reassuring him she was okay. He softened and agreed to also go.

"Perfect! This Friday I'll go to your house, Clary, at seven and we can go from there. Simon will be at your house, I suppose."

"Of course! He almost lives there!" Clary smiled.

"I've never heard you complain." Simon challenged.

"Because you are always asleep." Clary smiled sweetly and Simon laughed.

"Clary!" She spun around to see who was calling her, but nobody seen to be looking at her. "Clary!" Suddenly, arms were wrapping around her waist, lifting her off her feet, and in impulse, she grabbed herself around the neck of whomever it was that was hugging her. She was greeted with the strong smell of axe and black hair tickling her cheek.

"Sebastian." Clary smiled and rolled her eyes at Sebastian. He set her down but kept his hands on her waist, which Clary found unsettling.

"How's my little midget been, eh?" Clary glared while he laughed. _Always the joyful one, huh? _Clary thought bitterly. She hated when people messed with her because of her height. "I'm just kidding. But, how you've been?"

"Same old. You?" She stepped back so his arms would leave her frame alone. He didn't seem to notice as his grin widened.

"Oh, great! Life's good! Although basketball has been a pain. Oh, did you hear we are going to Districts in Baseball?" Clary flinched without meaning to. Sebastian noticed. "Oh, uh, sorry. You don't have to answer tha_–,"_

"No. Don't worry. Um, yeah, I didn't know about that. I'm happy for you, Seb." She tried for a smile, but it felt forced, even to her, but if Sebastian noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Well, Clary, are you going to present?" Isabelle's voice sounded next to her. She mentally cursed herself for forgetting she wasn't alone.

"Oh, of course!" She turned to Isabelle and pushed her forward. "Sebastian, this is Isabelle. She is new here at school. Isabelle, this is Sebastian." Sebastian's dark eyes swept over Isabelle while raising his hand to shake it with Isabelle. She took it gratefully and smiled. Clary almost didn't notice the way Sebastian's eyes flickered to her twice before letting go of Isabelle's hand.

"Hey, Simon. Almost didn't see you there." Sebastian waved at Simon.

"Yeah. Almost. I would ask how you've been but Clary already asked." Simon smiled sarcastically. Clary knew that he and Sebastian had never actually liked each other.

"Well, we've got to get to class." Isabelle said, surprising Clary. "We're going to be late!"

"Okay. See you guys around." Sebastian said the words in general, but his eyes were trained on Clary's, sending a shiver up and down her spine. She didn't know what to think of it.

When they were out of earshot, Isabelle squealed, quite loudly. "Wow! He is so into _you! _He was totally checking you out the whole time! Even when you introduced me his eyes kept falling on you! Oh, wow Clary! And then wh_–," _Clary tuned her out as she practically bounced up and down excitedly.

Sebastian? Sebastian liked her? Clary didn't like Sebastian in _that_ way. She just saw him as, well, as another brother. Not in the way she saw Simon, but still. She had known him since Jonathan had entered middle school; they had met there and became best friends right away. He would come over almost every day. When Clary and Jonathan started singing together, he would bring his camera and take videos. There were still boxes of them in the basement and in Jonathan's room.

"Clary? Are you even listening to me?" Isabelle asked.

"No. Sorry. I sort of spaced out. What did you say?" Clary asked Isabelle. She turned to give Isabelle her whole attention.

"I said that you are inviting him to come with us on Friday."

"Wait. What! I don't like Sebastian that way!"

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Clary! Give the guy a chance! If you still feel the same way about him after Friday then tell him. But right now you are just basing it on a school relationship." _If only you knew,_ Clary thought.

"Then you ask him."

"No, Clary. You will. Sorry, but that's the way it has to be."

Clary grimaced. "Ugh, Isabelle! I don't know how you make me do stuff I would have never done before meeting you."

Isabelle grinned. "Oh, this is nothing, Clary darling."

o.8.o

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no, no! Frank died! Why? Out of all of them, why did he die?" Simon started fake crying. Clary rolled her eyes. Simon was quite amusing when playing Call of Duty. She walked over to Simon and patted his back.

"Simon, I know it's hard, but look at this way: He died a noble death saving you. Honor him! Win the game he couldn't!"

"I know, but he," pause, "was so," longer pause, "young..?" Clary laughed at Simon. Leave it to Simon to describe a forty-year old man at war as "young".

"Fine, Simon. 'Young' Frank will always be in our hearts." She did a fake moment of silence. "Now turn that thing off. Isabelle will be here at any second."

"Okay!" He hoped off his chair, tripped, and would have fallen face first if Clary had not been there to steady him.

"Science, Simon! We don't need you getting a concussion right now, do we?"

"That would be a really bad idea, actually. My mom wouldn't be pleased." Clary grinned at the idea of Simon's mom. She was a really nice woman, but when it came to her son getting hurt, the Mama Bear claws would come out!

"Are you okay?" She asked. He nodded. "Okay, then. I'm getting some water. Turn that thing off! I don't want to see you playing the next level."

Simon rolled him eyes. "Yes, mom."

Clary smiled and tried for the best motherly voice she had. "Okay, sweetie!" Simon laughed loudly as she left the confines of her orange room. She considered taking Simon with her to the kitchen since it was dangerous to leave him, even if it's for minutes. One time he broke down her door. It was still a mystery of how he had done it.

She shrugged off her worries and walked towards the kitchen. She grabbed her glass of water and realized her phone was in the dining table when it started vibrating. She took it and opened it.

_**Hey! I'll be a few minutes late. Go on ahead without me. –Sebastian.**_

Clary groaned. Isabelle had actually made her ask Sebastian to the gig. Of course, Sebastian had said yes right away.

She put her phone away in the pocket of her coat. Just then, someone started knocking on the door. She went over and opened it.

"Clary! I'm sorry I'm late! It's just I couldn't decide on what to wear, but I'm here." She smiled the way Isabelle does. She was wearing a black sequined top, silver leggings, and flats. Clary couldn't remember the last time she had seen Isabelle in anything less than three inches.

"Izzy, don't worry. Simon is not even ready." She stepped away and let Isabelle in.

"Ugh. Why isn't he ready? We are supposed to be leaving in at least five minutes!" She threw up her bangle-full hands up in the air in exasperation.

Clary smiled. "Video games do that to boys. Why don't you go get him?" Clary grinned as Isabelle's eyes twinkled.

"Oh, he's going to regret not being ready." She started walking. "Oh, right. Where is he?"

"My room. Down the hall, second to last door on the left." Isabelle stalked off towards the room, a devilish grin in her face.

Eight minutes later they were walking past the entrance of a fast food restaurant called Taki's. Simon was standing as close to Clary and as far away from Isabelle as possible. Clary couldn't help but giggle at Simon's attitude. Whatever Isabelle had done had scared the crap out of Simon. Isabelle was acting as if nothing had happened. Clary just smiled.

Taki's was small. A bar crowded in one side. The stage opposite from the bar. Tables were arranged in between the two with people crowding around them. The color scale was from orange to brown and posters were arranged all over the walls. It was a really cozy place.

Isabelle sat down in a stool, Clary and Simon following.

"Having anything?" The bartender asked, eyeing Isabelle up and down. She seemed to like the attention because she sat forward and asked for a coke. She turned to Clary and Simon. Simon, red-faced, asked for a sprite, and Clary, containing her laughter, asked for an orange soda.

"And Sebastian? I thought you had asked him to come." Isabelle asked once she took a sip from her soda.

"Oh, right. He said he would be a late. Didn't say why, though." Isabelle nodded. "Anyways, who's your brother? It's weird that I didn't even know you had siblings until you mentioned this gig. Or at least I thought they were way older than you."

"Well, we take our separate ways in school. It's like, we have enough of each other at home that we think, 'why have more at school', you know?" Isabelle reasoned. Clary didn't know how to argue. Figured she didn't have to when a person went up the stage and towards the microphone.

"Hey, hooligans!" _Honestly,_ Clary thought,_ who uses the word "hooligans" nowadays?_ "Who is ready for 'Talent Night'?" Cheers erupted from everywhere as the announcer kept grinning. "Well, get ready 'cause this night will be the best we've ever had!" More cheers were heard from all over the place. "Now, I give the microphone to a fella called Raphael!" Clary made up her mind that the guy was stuck in the 70's. He got off as a short guy took the stage and started singing.

"Izzy! I thought you would be late." Clary turned to see who it was that Isabelle was talking to, and came face to face with Alec Lightwood.

"Alec, you know I'm never late when it comes to things like this. Actually, I'm never late, and that's final." Isabelle turned to Clary, "Clary, Simon, this is my brother Alec. Alec, this is Clary and Simon." Lightwood! Of course they were siblings! They were almost identical, except Alec was taller and had blue eyes. Alec eyed Clary carefully, and if she wasn't mistaken, with distrust.

"Clary." He said taking her hand, "I never thought of you as Isabelle's friend."

"And it never crossed my mind you were Izzy's brother, which is weird since you two could be twins." Alec proceeded to shake Simon's hand.

"You two know each other?" Isabelle asked.

"We have Calculus together," answered Clary.

"So you must know Jace too!" Exclaimed Isabelle excitedly. She turned to Alec. "You two have Calculus together!"

"Jace? What do you mean–?" Clary began but was cut off by cheers. The guy had ended singing.

"Jace is next!" Alec yelled for them to hear. _What does Jace have to do with any of this?_ –she wanted to ask, but was cut off as Jace, in all his glory, came out on the stage. Isabelle started clapping wildly.

_My brother will be playing and I don't want to be alone, _Isabelle had said.

"Wait! Jace is your–,"

_Oh, science!_

* * *

_Snow Days Brought Inspiration! :D I decided to make A/N's at the end of each chapter. I understand that when you get an Alert you want to read the chapter and not the A/N's so that's why I put them down here. Now, I wanted to warn you guys that I'm Mexican so there will be some Spanish songs. They are not like Mariachis or anything, don't worry. I don't like Mariachis, how anti-Mexican that sounds is true. :) Now, back to important stuff. If it's not too obvious, Simon, Isabelle, and Clary are juniors, or grade 11, so they are around seventeen. Jace, Alec, Sebastian, Aline, and the skanks (^.^) are seniors, or grade 12, so they are around eighteen. You liked the Chapter? What do you thing will happen next? _

_You know the only way to tell me! _

_Review?_


	7. Chapter Six

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_The Minstrel's Prayer- Cartel_

_I Forgive You- Every Avenue_

_Bad Vibrations- The Black Angels_

_Kiss And Tell- You Me At Six_

_Enjoy! xD_

* * *

~Chapter Six~

Clary's first thought was– _Where is Ashton Kutcher?_ Then it was something more like– _But it just can't be! _And finally– _What?_

Clary was confused as a thousand questions formed in her head, but only one seemed to be more reasonable: How was Jace _Wayland _brother of Isabelle _Lightwood?_ She understood that siblings could sometimes look completely different from each other, like her and Jonathan, but they still have the same last name! Jace and Isabelle certainly didn't.

She returned her gaze to Jace _Wayland_ as he grabbed his burgundy guitar from a stand. He sat on a stool that someone had provided for him. His eyes swept all over the room, seemed to settle on his _siblings_ and then drifted to her. Clary wasn't sure if his eyes widened a millimeter or if it was her active imagination playing tricks on her. _Probably the latter,_ she thought as Jace smirked at her and returned his eyes on the guitar.

"Hey, guys. My name is Jace Wayland and I'll be granting you fifteen minutes of my million dollar voice." Isabelle snorted and Alec rolled his eyes. Clary guessed Jace saw them because his smirk only grew until it was a full-blown grin. Clary just shook her head. Even when he looked like an angel his mouth was the devils own incarnate. "Oh, and Billy over here," he pointed to behind him where a guy with threads was behind a set of drums, "will be helping me a bit."

Without further ado, he made a sign for Billy to start. Three beats from Billy and Jace began playing his guitar. Even with Clary's retirement from music, she knew the song. It was one of her favorite bands, and one of her favorite songs.

_And all these stupid silly songs,  
keep trying to catch your ear.  
I'm trying desperately;  
it's just so hard to persevere._

The song wasn't very well known, but Clary knew it by heart and she also knew one thing; Jace was making the song his. Sure, it didn't go with him at all, but he made it look like it did. He was changing every so often a chord in his guitar, or changing the pitch in a certain place, but it sounded good. His voice was not a tenor like the original singer, but it was lower and sent a shiver down Clary's spine every time it vibrated.

_Shelter me, oh, genius words.  
Just give me strength,  
Just to pen these things.  
And give me peace to well her wings.  
And oh, Oh carry on,  
All you Minstrels of the world.  
We will catch our ladies' ear.  
We will win for us the girl._

_He really does have a beautiful voice, _thought Clary. Right there, she was reminded of what he had told her, about her having a beautiful voice. Girls were swaying to his voice, as if entrapped in a lullaby, some even with their eyes closed, but most were just staring at him, entrapped by the invisible light he was emanating.

_And I'll hold on to the dream,  
Of this beggar's plea,  
And optimistic fantasy.  
Just hold the hand and drop the knee.  
You're facing love.  
You're embracing melody._

Clary heard a huff from behind her and found Simon glaring at Jace. Clary would have laughed if the atmosphere was not so peaceful. She smiled towards him. Simon looked at her crossed his arms. Clary's grin widened just to hear the last lyrics.

_We will catch our ladies' ear.  
We will win for us the girl._

Now Clary knew she was imagining stuff, because she could almost swear he looked directly at her after raising his eyes from the guitar. It was so typical for Clary to think guys were onto her. It's necessary to note the sarcasm.

"Just warming you up, guys!" Jace yelled as he stood up from his stool. He took his guitar strap off as a kid came up taking his guitar, trading it for a white electric Fender. The kid also took the stool as Jace grabbed the strap of the Fender and stepped back. As he lifted his arms, his shirt rose, showing his gold tanned skin underneath and– and were those scars? Clary shook her head– she was definitely off today. He grinned big before he started playing.

_You, you've got a way of keeping me on my toes.  
You've got a way of thinking whatever you do goes.  
And I really don't mind 'cause you're keeping me amused.  
You treating my love to your god dammed crazy moods.  
And I, I forgive you._

_I forgive for the truth,  
I liked you better when you lied.  
And I forgive you being you,  
'Cause you were better when you faked every smile._

Now, _that_ sounded more like the Jace she imagined he was. Sure, she didn't know him all that good, but well, his smirks and just his usual annoying self made you think that was how he was, and maybe he was! Who knew?

He was playing his role really good. Grimacing when his words expressed what he was supposed to do and rolling his eyes at places that needed them. Smiling apologetically when he said, "I forgive you" and winking at girls all the time in the whole song.

_I, I'm gonna miss watching you while you sleep,  
'Cause that was the only time I ever found some peace._

People were up on their feet swaying their hips, arms stretched high. Clary had to admit Jace was "stage worthy" as Jonathan would have once said. He really did know how to take the spotlight.

_I can throw my cares away,  
Now I know how freedom tastes  
And I thank you for the pain,  
'Cause now I can deal with anything._

_I finally broke away from you!_

It was incredible how contradictory the two songs were against each other. One talking about the girl not paying attention to the guy's songs written for her and the other about how the girl is a pain.

Was Jace trying to make a statement? Was he saying he was… bipolar? If so, Clary was the only one that was going to notice the message because she was an analyzer by heart.

_And now you're knocking on my front door.  
That's what I've been living for.  
Excuse me when I laugh my ass off!_

_And I forgive you for your ways,  
Now that I finally got away!_

Everybody cheered hard for Jace. The last note was still ringing in the air as he vowed.

"Thanks! You guys have been great!" He smiled big and winked to a few girls while he made his way down the stairs of the stage. Clary looked to Isabelle and Alec and saw them clapping and smiling big at their _brother_. It was definitely going to take some time for Clary to get used to the news.

Jace was coming over with his two guitars in both hands. His dark green, short-sleeved shirt showed his well-defined muscles to perfection. His dark trousers were hanging low on his waist, a thick black belt supporting them. He walked with a kind of swagger that it would have looked ridiculous on anyone else but him. His radiating confidence obvious in his trademark smirk. And his eyes, filled with a golden spark, staring at her green ones.

Clary's eyes widened and she looked away. He had obviously caught her staring, again. She heard chuckling from the golden boy and she looked up glaring, but he was looking at Alec, who was congratulating him, and at Isabelle, who was scorning him about how conceited he was acting up in the stage. Jace just shook his head, his grin never leaving his face.

"You are jealous that you would never do that, Iz." And if his grin could grow impossibly bigger, it did.

"Whatever." Huffed Isabelle, undignified. Jace shrugged and looked at Clary again.

"Clary. I never thought I would encounter you here." He smiled.

"I can honestly say the same thing." She said back, smiling. "You played really good, by the way." She nodded towards the stage.

"You could have known before today, couldn't you?" He asked. He was referring to the time in the café when he started playing and she ran off.

"Yeah, I could've." She shrugged, "I was in a hurry."

"I noticed," he said, but he wasn't mad. It was like he was curious. Clary shook her head; hopefully he would take that as a sign that she wouldn't explain. Clary felt eyes on them, and she turned to Isabelle, who was questioning silently. Clary mouthed "later". She just nodded.

"OMG! Jacey! That was soo good!" Moments like these were the ones were Clary wished to all the scientists that she was deaf. Kalie, with her group of skanks, came running to Jace, all but desperate. She almost threw herself naked for all she was wearing; a strapless hot-pink dress that looked like it was more a blouse stretched to barely reach her thighs. Clary almost gagged at how much cleavage she was showing. Her five-inch black heals were clacking ridiculously loud for Clary's liking.

She stopped in front of Jace, just a few centimeters away from each other, and smiled grotesquely. Clary thought that maybe Kalie thought it was sexy, and maybe it was, but everything else about her made it look as fake as her boobs.

"Kalie… Thank you." His eyebrow was raised in question, and he stepped away just as Kalie's pink nails were going to start roaming his chest. It didn't seem to matter to her, since she just stepped forward and resumed what she was going to do. This time, he didn't move, and Kalie started conversation and Jace followed along. His smirk growing as Kalie overfilled his ego. Clary rolled her eyes.

"Clary, want to go to the restroom? I think I'm getting sick." She glanced at Isabelle. Her mouth was curved in disgust and Clary couldn't agree less.

"Yeah. I think I'm catching the same bug." Isabelle grinned, hooking her arm on Clary's. They started walking when someone lifted her up from behind, unhooking Isabelle from her arm.

"Hey," said the mystery person from behind her, who didn't become as mysterious as Clary recognized the owner. And also by Isabelle's "Hello, Sebastian."

"Sebastian! Put me down! You know I don't like being lifted!" He chuckled darkly the way he does when he is actually amused. He put her down and Clary turned around to greet him properly. He hugged her, the way that he seemed to love; lifting her off her feet. Clary groaned and he laughed.

"So, what are we supposed to be doing here? Just chilling?" He asked as he looked over the place.

"No. Actually, you missed the reason why we came here." Isabelle answered.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. Clary glared. Everybody seemed to be able to do that but her.

"Yes. We came to hear Isabelle's brother sing." Responded Clary.

"Alec can sing? Wow, I never knew tha–" Isabelle cut him off.

"Not Alec, but–"

"Sebastian." Came the velvety voice of none other but Jace, accompanied by the skanks behind him. Sebastian tensed and turned around to meet Jace's smirk.

"Jace." Sebastian answered in the same tone as Jace had, but he was glaring. Clary realized that they didn't really like each other.

"Sebastian! Sweetheart!" Almost as bad as Kalie's voice was Victoria's. She pushed through the group of skanks and sagged against Sebastian's broad chest. Sebastian smiled smugly as he wrapped his arms around Victoria.

"Well, hello there." Clary rolled her eyes. So she had been wrong about Sebastian not falling for a slut. _Oh, well._

"Isabelle, if you don't drag me out of here, I am seriously going to throw up." Clary made sure to talk loud enough to be heard over the music playing. Jace grinned at her and Isabelle nodded furiously.

"I second that." She said, and dragged her off to the bar were Simon was talking with a girl with soft brown skin and golden-brown hair stylized in a dozen braids around her head. He saw them approaching and waved them over with a smile.

"Hey, guys! This is Maia! We were just talking about the new online levels in Black Ops for Xbox! She also thinks it's unfair!" Clary rolled her eyes. They had gone over this over a million times. Simon thought it wasn't fair how Xbox had paid for "First Strike" and everyone else who didn't own an Xbox had to wait until March. She told him all the time that he was just jealous. He wouldn't agree. He said it was about pride.

"Hello, Maia. I'm Clary, and this is Isabelle." Clary smiled warmly.

"Hello." Isabelle's gaze was speculative. _Someone doesn't like somebody_, Clary thought with amusement. Maia didn't seem to reciprocate the sentiment.

"Hey! It's nice to meet you guys." She smiled warmly showing white teeth. She was obviously a gamer with her black T-shirt with Pacman eating a blue ghost. Clary took Simon's sprite and drank some of it.

"Well, I think that settles it. Sebastian can go to hell." Isabelle stated. Clary grinned while Simon looked dumbfounded.

"Did something happen that I missed?" he asked lifting the darn eyebrow.

"Oh, just screeching wheels and nasty flirting. You really got lucky for missing that." She looked over where Sebastian and the skanks were with Jace, but only saw Sebastian advancing on her. "Uh, oh. Got to run!" and she left to go hide.

o.8.o

As much as Jace liked being told how awesome he was, there was a limited amount of high-pitched voices he could take. Yes, his mom and Isabelle were also high-pitched, but Kalie sounded like a rat crying out for help! He just had to tell her he was going to the restroom and went to hide in the utility room. Alec was out there covering for him if it was needed, although he doubted it.

With a few minutes of peace, he decided to reflect on his performance. Every girl out there was secretly in love with him, and a few not so secretly. Example: Kalie. He sighed.

It had been sort of weird finding Clary here. He just didn't imagine her being a friend of Isabelle's, but again, Clary was pretty unpredictable. He had learned that much.

He sighed looking at his surroundings. It was dark, but a window illuminated a bit. There was toilet paper, mops, bags, and a bunch of other extras. He was sitting with his back against the wall. Charles was next to him, showing off his soft red coloring. He had not played bad at all. Jace made a note to polish him later. Alec had taken his white Fender to his car.

The door opened. Someone stepped in. The door closed. A heavy sigh. Then the sound of someone sliding down until hitting the floor.

"Oh, thanks science!" There was only one person Jace knew was atheist. That, and the fact that a red curl was visible in the sliver of light coming from the window.

"Clary?" She yelped and jumped a little. Jace couldn't help but laugh.

"Jace? What are you doing here?" She asked, green eyes luminous like a cats.

"Same thing as you, I bet." She sighed. She stood up and walked over and sat next to him.

"Hiding?" She asked.

"Yep." She laughed. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her chin rested on top of her left knee. "Sebastian?"

"Yeah. Kalie?" She asked, looking at him with her round green eyes.

"Uh-huh." Clary laughed. "What?"

"So much for being the star fifteen minutes ago." Jace felt himself start to grin.

"What are you talking about? I'm still the star! I bet you that everyone out there is still thinking how incredibly sexy my voice is." He wriggled his eyebrows and Clary laughed.

"Sure!" Her voice was dripping sarcasm. They sat in silence.

Jace had many ways of staring conversation but instead he asked something. "So, you like Sebastian?" He could see that the question had caught Clary off guard by the way she stiffened up.

"Well, I've known him for, I think, six or seven years. He was my b–" she stopped. "Never mind." Jace raised an eyebrow, but she just shook her head.

"Was that a yes or no?" Clary shot him a look, but answered nevertheless.

"He's okay. You don't seem to like him all that much yourself."

"No. I don't like him. There is no other way to put it." Clary smiled.

"Kalie seems to have taken a sort of liking towards you." Jace groaned, making Clary laugh.

"Yeah. I think Charles helped too much this time." He said.

"Charles?" She asked. It looked like she was about to call him crazy.

"Yeah. My guitar. You two have met." He smiled as he grabbed it from his side and put it in his lap. She laughed.

"And I thought I was the only that named unanimated objects." She waved at Charles. "Hello, Charles. Finally we get a real introduction." Jace grinned.

"So, what have you named?" She seemed to ponder what to tell him.

"My iPod. His name is Danny. My phone is Ryan. One of my stepfather's daggers. I called it Bob." She smiled.

"A dagger?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Luke, my stepfather, he likes collecting rare or beautiful stuff." She shrugged. "I also have a headband. She is Sally. And–" she hesitated, "and Richard. My guitar." He wanted to ask why she hesitated, but before he could, the door opened revealing a dark head and piercing blue eyes. Alec.

"Jace. The coast is clear." He seemed to notice Clary. "Oh. Clary." Alec was glaring at her. "Anyways, you can come out. She's gone." He closed the door.

Clary sighed. "Alec. He doesn't like me that much, does he?" Jace grinned and stood up, offering his hand to help her up. She took it.

"What gave it away, eh? The glares? The venom in his voice when he talks to you?" He grinned. Clary laughed.

"And that's just it! The first we ever talked was today, when I realized he was Isabelle's brother and he had already judged me." She sighed. "He's just jealous of my height. Ah, haters." Jace laughed.

"Why would anyone want to be your height?" Clary grinned as they started walking out of the utility room.

"You'd be surprised."

* * *

_Yes. I am sort of a gamer. I love CoD, even if I don't own it, or the fact that I suck badly at it. :D  
So, you know how I updated just a few days ago? Well, my city is the most unprepared in the world for climate stuff. Honestly, they gave us four days off, minus the weekend. It's crazy! But, well, I'm not arguing! I love it. :D But, tomorrow I go back to school. -.- Oh joy... Anyways, this was a little treat if I don't update by next week. I'll be in theatre and, well, making up work probably so, yeah. Just being practical here. Anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! A lot of you told me what you thought would happen, and nobody guessed correctly, but some of you were close. But you have to count the fact that I was adding new stuff I hadn't planned while writting so yeah. I've also been wanting to tell you guys how thankful I am since I hit fifty reviews, but I always forgot, and now they are eighty-four! Ahhh! I love you guys! A lot! :D_

_Now, I'm going to answer a few annonimous reviewers! xDD_

_lanie: Thanks for checking to see updates! :D I appreciate it a lot! Honestly!_

_Anonymous1997: I will! Thanks! :)_

_07XReflectional: I know you are not annonimous, woman! You lazy butt! -.- Honestly! LMAO! Anyways, did you catch something up there? :DD If you did tell me! You would be the only one that would see it! Jajaja! Starts with B and ends with b. You get it? xD Oh, and you really should see what's up with your phone! Like, PRONTO! :D Love you, woman! :]_

_Done rambling! Now..._

_Review? :D_


	8. Chapter Seven

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Trying- Lifehouse_

_There Goes the Fear- Doves_

_Painting Flowers- All Time Low_

_Lasso- Phoenix_

* * *

~Chapter Seven~

"_Everything is going to be okay, sweetie." Her voice trembled slightly, almost giving the illusion that everything would be okay indeed. "Everything will be o_–" _She screamed. A blood curdling sound that made Jace cover his ears with his tear-damped hands. More tears surfaced while he closed his eyes, trying to block the idiocies all around him. He hated it. He hated this! It was horrible, and he couldn't think of a way to help, just sit there and watch. _

_He made up his mind. If he couldn't help he would at least watch. He opened his eyes, and took in everything. From the familiar ivory walls to the new incorporated blood stains in the turquoise rug. As more and more resurfaced, instead of feeling more frightened, he became angry. _

_Eight-year old Jace took his hands away from his ears, this time welcoming the cries of pain. He stood up from his fetal position and walked with determination to where the man he had grown to hate yelled at the woman he had loved and would always love. Her golden eyes flickered to him and widened, fear caught in the blackest pits of her irises. He looked away and instead focused his eyes on the man. _

_He turned his hazel gaze on young Jace. A shiver went down his spine, but he didn't break eye contact. The man's eyes filled with amusement. _

"_What are you doing?" He asked, leaving the woman alone for seconds and advancing on him. "Trying to look brave, aren't you? But you can't and never will. That's what happens to men like you and me. Like us." Jace shook his head, willing him to understand, but he just laughed. "You've always been determined. Doesn't surprise me." He was now kneeling to eye level. "Open your eyes, Jace. You can still make it."_

_Jace's eyes widened at the sight of the knife in the man's hand. He grinned malevolently, and if he wasn't mistaken, with excitement. "Come on, Jace."_

"_Wake up!"_

"Jace! Wake up! Get your sorry lame ass of your bed, would you? It's eleven!" Jace opened his eyes to see some very angry black pits. If Jace wasn't manly enough he would have yelped back. Isabelle in the mornings was not a nice image. Well, at least it was better than having Alec wake him up.

"Finally!" She threw her hands up in the air for emphasis. She wore her long golden robe, her hair disheveled, makeup free face, and white slippers poking underneath. She probably had just woken up. Jace sat there unmoving, staring at a white corner about Isabelle's head. Isabelle noticed and her anger dissolved. "They came back." She stated.

Jace turned to her and nodded, for the first time since waking up feeling the light sheen of sweat in his body. Isabelle noticed how dilated his pupils looked. Last time she saw them like that was back in Minnesota. They would never leave him alone, where they? She started feeling sorry for Jace…

_No, Isabelle_–she thought. _H__e hates sympathy._

She put a hand to her hip and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Take a shower before going downstairs." She sniffed the air. "You need it." She turned and started walking towards the door. "Oh! Mom's making coconut pancakes." That certainly got Jace's attention as he sat up.

"Well, why didn't you say that before? I would already be out of the shower by now, you know?" His voice sounded rough, she noticed, but at least it contained the attitude she had learned to tolerate. She grinned.

"Of course! But what type of sister would that make me?" She was just exiting his room.

"Oh, I don't know. A good one!" Isabelle laughed hard, like if the idea of that actually amused her.

"Keep dreaming, darling!" For reasons not even Jace believed, he loved his sister.

o.8.o

"Remember when she did this one?" They both laughed. "She was so mad about something Jonathan had done at school. You can even see it in her strokes!" Luke exclaimed.

"Yeah! I remember Jonathan being scared of going too close to the basement door! You could hear Mom's voice from all the way in the kitchen!" Clary wiped a stray tear from her eye. "When she came up, it was like nothing had happened, if you don't count the paint covering her from head to toe!" Luke and Clary laughed some more.

It had become a tradition for them to look at Jocelyn's paintings and remembering the reason she had painted them in the first place. Jocelyn always had a reason, and her state of mind was visible in the way the painting was made. Clary understood more than Luke in that department, but Luke had also learned a few things over the years.

"I'll go get three more." He got up from the beat-up coach in his bedroom. He smiled down at her. "Then we can start making dinner. How does that sound?"

"Fantastic! Simon said he would crash later, so we should make extra."

Luke raised an eyebrow. Clary sighed internally. Eyebrows. "And what brings him to start calling now? He usually just comes in without invitation." He said while shaking his head.

"I don't know. I guess he's going through that phase were guys want to try being gentleman-y?" Luke laughed.

"Let's hope it actually works for him." And he was gone to the basement. Clary sighed. She loved Sundays. She had always, and after the tragedy, she thought she would start hating them, but no such luck.

She got up from the coach and went to go sit at the edge of Luke's bed. There was a picture in his nightstand. His favorite, he would say. It had been taken maybe two years ago. Jonathan had gotten a camera for his birthday and he was forcing everybody into a "family picture." Clary smiled at the memory.

Clary had been as mad as hell! Jocelyn was pissed because she had been working on something in the basement. Luke couldn't have cared less. He was the only one doing it voluntarily.

In the picture, Luke was smiling warmly with his arm draped over Jocelyn's paint-covered shoulders. Her arms were crossed, and even though she was trying to remain stoic, a half smile was barely visible in her dimples as her gaze was focused on Clary.

The short redhead looked pissed. She had a hand on her hip, the other lying on her side with her phone attached to it. Her gaze, locked on Jonathan, was murderous. Jonathan, on the other hand, was smiling, showing his white teeth. He was leaning his head to the side, Clary's side, just to piss her off even more.

Clary smiled as she remembered the aftermath. After the sound of the picture being taken and the flash blinding everyone momentarily, she growled and started flinging herself at Jonathan, but he was expecting it and he begin to run away from her.

Clary started laughing. Every day with Jonathan had been funny, even when they were mad at each other and wouldn't speak at all.

She heard a chuckle from behind her. Luke was looking at the picture in her hand, grinning.

"Good times, huh?" He said. Clary smiled and nodded.

"Good times definitely!" She saw the paintings Luke had under his arm. "Ready to decipher those?" She grinned as he flopped down on the mattress.

o.8.o

"So, that is supposed to be Hercules?" Clary nodded. "And that one is–Wait, don't tell me! –It's… The Big Pan!" Clary couldn't help but laugh at Simon's absurdity.

"Simon! No! That is called the Big Dipper!" She rolled on her bed and sat up. They had been watching the constellation posters on her roof.

"Well, how was I supposed to know? It looks like a frying pan, but I knew it couldn't be The Big Frying Pan! It was only two words, not three. That much I remembered." He sat as well and scratched his head.

"At least you remembered where Achilles and Andromeda this time."

"Nah. I just remembered sort of were they were from last time, point at it, and you tell me I'm corre– Ouch! What was that for?" Simon rubbed the spot in his arm where he had just been slapped.

"For cheating." She smiled in return of Simon's glare. She got up from the bed and stretched.

"Clary–" He began, but didn't know how to tell her. She turned around immediately because Simon doesn't hesitate about a lot of things in life.

"What's up, Si?" She went to sit next to him at the edge of her bed.

"Well, have you tried drawing at all since– you know…?" Clary tensed.

"No. I haven't. I don't think I could ever again." Her gaze was focused on her hands, which were playing senselessly with each other.

"Clary." Her eyes wouldn't lift to his. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Clary, I know that you want to punish yourself with all this–all this forbidding–but what you don't realize is that you are not just hurting yourself. You are hurting the people that are around you. Luke, Aline, me–even Isabelle asks me at times what ever happened to you. People notice, and even though I know you don't care about what they think, I do know you hate when people feel bad for you.

"What I'm trying to say is that drawing, singing, and playing; they all made you happy. Now, since you are restricting yourself from doing any of those–restricting yourself from being happy–you are giving everyone a reason to feel bad for you." Clary had stared onto her best friend's brown eyes all throughout his speech, unblinking.

"I know." She responded. "But it's not as easy as you think, Simon. When I do any of those things… I just can't! It just hurts too much! So many memories come to me. They overwhelm me. And I just can't!" Tears were falling down her eyes. "It hurts." Simon pulled Clary to him. He started rubbing circles on her back, letting her cry. She leaned into him, wetting all the front of his gray shirt.

But for some reason she didn't understand, she had been able to play with Jace's guitar. Charles, as he had called it. Yes, she was crying afterwards, but it wasn't because of memories, it was because of how empty she felt.

Maybe…

Maybe she couldn't play on Richard, her guitar, because it contained memories. Charles was a stranger to Clary, and when she played, it felt like she was writing a book from scratch. Maybe she could get a new guitar and then–

No. The thought of it sent a shiver of terror down her spine. Richard was hers. She couldn't just leave it behind for another guitar. She couldn't.

By the time her sobs diminished to occasional hiccups, the sun had gone down and it was dark outside. She pulled away from Simon.

"So, I think you're staying the night?" She asked, hoping that he would say yes. He seemed to hesitate.

"I still have the clothes from the last time I stayed, right?" Clary laughed.

"Fresh from the laundry, sir." He fist-bumped the air. Clary giggled.

"Well, I don't want to go to school with dirty Sunday clothes, do I?"

"Honestly, you don't." They both smiled.

"Kids! Come get your food!" Luke's yell sounded far away. Simon hesitated. Clary leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"I hear he made lasagna!" The response she got was Simon getting up inhumanly fast, pulling her along to the dinner table. Sometimes Clary wondered about Simon, but it never took her anywhere. Simon was Simon. Her Simon.

She smiled at the thought.

o.8.o

"Let's go to the movies, yeah? Jace and Alec are dragging me along with them. I don't want to be thrown to whatever movie they plan on watching." Isabelle asked as Clary, Simon, and she walked to their seventh period, English.

"Today?" Asked Clary. Isabelle nodded. "Today is Wednesday, Isabelle."

"And?"

"It's a school day?" Clary said.

"I'm not getting the point here."

"Tomorrow we have school, Isabelle."

"I see no problem in going to the movies on a school night. It's just two hours after school. We get home by six, and we have spare time to do homework and the likes." Isabelle reasoned.

Clary thought about it. She didn't have homework from any of her classes, except Calculus, and she was halfway done with that one. Maybe she could go to the movies after all.

"I would love to, of course, but my mom is dragging me to one of her mom conferences. She says it's important that she and I spend 'quality time'." Simon quoted while rolling his eyes.

"Aw, boo." Isabelle turned to Clary. "What about you? Please say yes!" Isabelle's eyes were pleading her to agree.

"Fine, Izzy." Clary smiled as she saw Isabelle grinning.

"Awesome! I'll just text Jace and tell him that–Oh, look! He is right there! I'll just tell him right now. Jace!"

A gold blob of hair in front of them turned, looking around with an annoyed expression. His gold eyes landed on Isabelle, who was grinning. Apparently, she liked bothering her brother. His glaring gaze went from Isabelle to Clary, where it softened, just enough for him to start smirking. Clary rolled her eyes. He started walking towards them.

"Oh, hey! It's Eric! I think I'll catch you two in class." Simon steered away to catch an invisible Eric.

"Well, Iz, you better have a very good reason for taking away my precious time." Isabelle snorted.

"Lay off, Jace. My time is more important than yours. Anyways, just wanted you to know that Clary is coming." Jace's eyes turned to Clary. His smile widened.

"Nice of you to accompany us, Clary. Just when you thought you couldn't get enough of me, huh?" He wriggled his eyebrows.

She laughed. "Oh, please! Don't flatter yourself, sweetie." Jace grinned.

"See you after class." And he left.

"It's a miracle he is still alive." Isabelle sighed. Clary grinned.

o.8.o

"So… what are we watching?" Alec asked breaking the excruciating silence that had settled ever since they had started driving away from school. He was driving a '99 blue Corvette.

"I don't know. I don't watch TV too much nowadays."Answered Isabelle from the backseat next to Clary.

"Well, it also depends on the rest of our party." Came Jace's reply.

"The rest of the party?" Clary thought it was just them four.

Jace turned around on his seat and grinned at her. "Yeah. Everybody else is waiting for us at the movie theatre. What fun would it have been just the four of us, huh?" He raised an eyebrow.

Clary glared. "Whatever." She wasn't about to start an argument with Mr. Know-It-All in the small car.

"Leave her alone, Jace." Isabelle shot an annoyed look at Jace. He laughed, but turned around to watch the road again.

The boys and girls made small talk with each other until they reached the movie theatre. Alec parked them close to the doors, where three teenagers were waiting, talking animatedly to each other. One guy and two girls. _One of the girls looks very familiar_, thought Clary as she looked at the group.

Alec and Jace got off, letting Isabelle and Clary get off the cramped car. Jace closed the door for Clary. She, out of custom, said thanks.

"My pleasure, mademoiselle." Clary looked incredulously over at Jace. He was grinning at her while shutting the door of the car. He stayed there, staring at her and since she didn't know what else to do, she just stared back. Before they could find out who was winning the stare down, Isabelle bounded next to Clary and dragged her to the front of the theatre. Before she lost sight of Jace, she saw him shaking his head.

They came closer to the group of teenagers and Clary recognized the two facing them as seniors. A very tall guy with glitter in his hair and a beautiful blonde girl with green eyes. She was one of the few that didn't paint her face like a clown at school. The other girl with her back to them had dark brown hair that came past her shoulder blades. Something about the stance in which she was standing was way too familiar for Clary.

"Look! It's Magnus and Camille! The other girl is possibly Jace's date." Isabelle waved at the tall guy, Magnus, and the blonde girl, Camille. They waved back.

Jace came out of nowhere and hugged the other girl, the one with the brown hair. She hugged him back. Jace lightly kissed her on the cheek and she giggled. Clary knew that giggle way better than she knew her own.

"Aline?"

* * *

_First of all: Thank you! More than 100 Reviews? That is just awesome! I totally do not deserve all that praise, but I'll manage! Lmao! xD Anyways, sorry for the long wait guys, but school has been a pain. Literally. Oh, and the fact that Valentine's Day was this Monday as well... -.-  
Did anyone else forget to do the Chapter Shadowhunt? Right now I'm reading them all together, fitting the pieces in slowly. -.- Who would have thought it would be soo frustrating! Anyways, what did you think of this crappy chapter? Sort of a filler and a bit of more info on our favorite person: Jace! :D Now, guys, you know what to do that makes me the happiest person in the world!_

_Review? ;D_


	9. Chapter Eight

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Umbrella- All Time Low [Original from Rihanna. I like this version way better!]_

_Let Me- The Smiths_

_Bennie and the Jets- Elton John_

_For The First Time- The Script_

**IMPORTANT! READ:** **I messed up on the last chapter. I wrote Jessamine was the blonde with Magnus, when in reality; I wanted the blonde to be Camille. So, let us forget anything about a Jessamine. :D**

Now... Enjoy! :D

* * *

~Chapter Eight~

"Clary?"

The brunette turned to see Clary with delighted eyes. "Clary!" She stepped forward to hug her friend, but Clary―without meaning to―flinched. Aline's smile turned into a frown and then hurt. Clary glanced quickly at Jace and saw him staring at her, head cocked to the side, curiosity in the deep sets of his yellow eyes. "Clary? Is there something wro―?"

"I―Um, sorry. I need to use the restroom. Izzy, would you come?" She glanced at Isabelle who was already nodding her head. Isabelle hooked her arm on Clary's when Camille hooked Clary's other arm. Clary looked up in surprise and Camille shrugged.

"I need to wash my hands." The blonde said.

They started walking, a line of diversity―the redhead, the blonde, and the black-haired. Clary wasn't sure, but she thought she heard the tall stranger, Magnus, murmuring about this being the reason he "fancied" boys. She shrugged it off.

Once they were out of earshot, Isabelle dropped the bomb.

"So, you know Aline? Jace's date?"

"Is she really Jace's date? Please tell me she isn't!" Clary knew she was pleading, but she felt vulnerable and she hated it. She didn't know if to be mad at her for moving on so quickly and forgetting Jonathan altogether, or the complete opposite: if she felt happy for Aline because she was being happy.

Clary had been waiting for Isabelle to deliver the great news when Camille chimed in―

"Are you jealous?" Clary, not knowing why, blushed intensely. Clary looked at Camille to see if she was bluffing, but she was completely serious.

"Uh, no…" She wasn't even sure of those words were true or not, and that worried her. "But what bothers me the most is, that out of all the other girls at school, he picked Aline. And she agreed! It's unbelievable!"

"Well," Isabelle commented, "Jace is pretty handsome and Aline is cute."

"Ah, you are being too modest, Iz," began Camille. "He is like a Greek god! And Aline? She is hot! Tell me if I'm overreacting." Clary laughed. She had to admit that Camille really did know how to lighten up the mood.

"No, you are not." _Maybe I am,_ Clary thought distractedly. "Well, maybe a little bit with Jace…" They laughed together.

"So what is it that actually bothers you?" Isabelle asked.

"It's just… it's very hard for me to talk abo―" she began.

"Aline and you went out, or what?" Camille, again.

"_What?_" Clary laughed and Isabelle giggled on the side. "No. No! I'm straight!" She said in between laughs.

"Ah, shame." Clary figured Camille was either bisexual or lesbian altogether. Not like she was going to ask her straight up. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I bet the guys, and girl, are getting inpatient. We should go pick the movie already." She turned to Clary. "You going to be okay?"

"Yeah. I'll live." Clary smiled and Camille grinned.

"Okay, then! Let's get moving!" Isabelle jumped and pulled them along.

They got back to the group. Alec and Magnus were talking together, while Jace and Aline laughed about something that must've come from Jace's mouth. Clary rolled her eyes. Jace saw them first, and his gaze stayed on Clary, where they were asking her what had happened. _Since when did he care?_

"So, do you guys know already which movie we are watching?" Everybody except Clary started shouting out suggestions. Clary knew this was going nowhere, so she decided to stop the racketing.

"Guys! Why don't we just split up! Whoever wants to go see this movie goes to that one and so on." She said loud enough for them to hear.

"I like Fireba―I mean―Clary's suggestion." Stepped up Magnus. What was Magnus going to call her before that?

"I agree." Said Jace, surprising Clary.

"Okay. Who's going to come see Never Say Never?" Said Isabelle more enthusiasm than Justin Beiber deserved. Camille and Aline squealed in response. They started dragging Clary over.

"Oh, no! I think I'll pass!" she said.

"What! You don't like Justin Beiber?" Clary grimaced and shook her head while the other three girls gawked at her.

"I think we will pass too. No offense, though." Jace said behind Clary. She could feel his heat behind her, and only then did she notice that he was probably too close to her. Clary blushed and stepped aside. She saw Jace from the side of her vision. He was smirking. Clary glared at the floor.

"Magnus and I are going to check The Roommate. Are you joining us?" asked Alec, already dragging Magnus to the tickets booth. Obviously he did not wanting company, but still asking out of politeness. Isabelle and the girls had already gone off to buy their tickets.

"I guess that just leaves us," Jace leaned over her ear, "Roxanne." Clary moved back and glared at him while he chuckled. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm just telling you: You are not dragging me into a horror movie." He lifted an eyebrow. _Grrr!_

"Why is that, _Clary_?" He asked drawling her name just to piss her off.

"Let's just say that they scare the sweet sugar in tea out of me." Somehow, she hadn't expected him to laugh.

"Sweet sugar in tea? Really?" She glared at him.

"Do you have such a problem with people not using profanities? It's like you are always looking at the way I change the words!" She threw her hands up in frustration.

"I wouldn't if your substitutions weren't so noticeable." He said indifferently.

"Are you always so obnoxious?"

"Are you always so temperamental?"

"Are you saying I have anger problems?"

"No. Maybe you just have hearing problems."

"You are so lucky I don't use bad words. You would be reduced to mush if I did."

"Yeah. Of boredom I bet!" He grinned.

"Ugh! How the hell are we supposed to watch a movie together when we can't stop fighting?" He grinned.

"Maybe using our mouths for something else…"

"Go to hell, Jace Wayland. If that ever happens it would be in my death bed." She muttered, blushing. His grin grew as he saw the color of her cheeks.

"Are you suggesting that I should kill you? That would be a little too 'Othello and Desdemona', don't you think?" Clary decided that they were not going anywhere with all the quarreling. The adult would just have to be her. She started walking to the booth.

"So what movie are we watching? No horror and no Justin Beiber."

"Action or comedy?" he asked, looking at the titles.

"Don't mind. They are both pretty good genres."

"Hmm, Green Hornet, I Am Number Four, Tron, or Hall Pass?"

"Ah, I love Jason Sudeikus in Hall Pass, but Alex Pettyfer…" Clary grinned.

"Alex Pettyfer? What do you girls see in him? He is just a dude with blonde curls and a six pack. Not too much."

"You know you just described yourself, right?" Clary laughed as Jace realized.

"Does that mean you like me?" He wriggled his eyebrows. Clary snorted and turned to the lady behind the counter.

"Two for Hall Pass." She was not going to give him the satisfaction of gawking at Alex Pettyfer during the movie.

"Good selection." Jace winked at the girl as he passed the money under the counter.

"Thank you." Clary said to the girl as they walked off to the theatre room.

"Well, aren't you polite?"He said, walking so close to her that her shoulders grazed his arm every so often.

"Yeah. Something you will never be, sweetie." Clary winked sarcastically at Jace.

They walked into the already dark room. The lamps on the red walls were casting a soft hue to the sides of the theatre. The projecting screen was advertising about being in the Army and helping your fellow citizens and so on. The room was almost empty, as expected being a Wednesday. Jace suggested one of the seats at the top. Clary agreed.

As they were walking up the stairs, Clary felt a warm hand covering the small of her back. A shiver went down her spine and a blush spread across her cheeks. She couldn't be more thankful for the darkness of the room.

"Oh, we didn't buy anything. Did you want anything, Clary?" He asked. There was no hint of sarcasm, or arrogance in his voice, and she was taken aback by it.

"Uh, no. I'm okay. Thanks anyways."

"Okay then." He smiled at her before getting comfortable in his seat. She sagged against her seat and brought her feet to rest on the seat in front of her. Before the movie started Jace asked Clary:

"Hey, do you think you could help me with the Power Point for computation after this? We can go to my house and I'll take you to yours later." He asked, boring his eyes on hers. Even in the darkness his eyes looked unnaturally yellow. Clary wondered if they were contacts, but dismissed it immediately.

"Sure. I'll just call Luke after the movie and tell him." She smiled at him. Just then, the lights dimmed and the movie began.

o.8.o

"Oh, my God! Clary you missed such a movie! Justin was just…" Isabelle sighed contently.

"Yeah. I bet it was an awesome movie! It deserved an Oscar, huh?" Clary said sarcastically. She received chuckles from the front seat and a glare from Isabelle.

"Don't be a hater! You're just jealous that he is so hot and cute and talented!"

"Or maybe I'm just disgusted about him being so perfect?" She sighed. "Face it, Isabelle: Not everyone has to be a Justin Beiber fan. His music is not so good either. And… He is not cute, or hot. Talented passes."

"Whatever." She huffed. "I bet your movie was pretty stupid, huh?"

"No. It was very funny actually." She giggled and Jace laughed from the front seat. Their eyes met on the rearview mirror for a second before she turned away.

Isabelle glared. "What about you, Alec? Was The Roommate freaky?"

Alec paled. "Uh, yeah. It was, I think…" Clary thought that maybe they were doing something else that didn't actually involve observing or listening. She giggled. "So, Clary, where do you live?"

Clary was about to reply when Jace beat her to it. "She's coming to our house for a while. Clary is going to help me with some homework we have. I'll take her home later."

"Okay then." Alec responded at the same time Isabelle yelped, "awesome!" and started talking about how she was going to show Clary this and that.

Clary, listening to Isabelle and nodding to her, didn't notice a certain pair of yellow eyes looking at her from the rearview mirror.

o.8.o

They pulled over at the Lightwood's residence. Clary took in the beautiful house in detail. She thought it looked Victorian with hints of modern architecture in the arch of the door and windows. It sort of reminded her of Simon's, but this one newer in a way.

"Come on, Clary!" Isabelle dragged Clary by her hand up to the house. "I want you to meet our parents!"

She opened the house with a set of keys and went in. There were beautiful wood tables on corners with a few frames with pictures of the family. A few mirrors were covering the room, from the smallest to the huge ones. Cozy-looking beige coaches were set in front of a fireplace. It looked as if nobody had ever used it.

"Mom! Dad! We're home!" Isabelle called.

"In the kitchen!" Clary heard a female voice respond. Isabelle smiled and started walking towards the kitchen. Clary had nothing but to follow.

They walked into the kitchen. It was a pistachio green. Cabinets white and tiled floor. There was a sort of table-slash-bar in the middle were a very impressing woman next to a man were seated drinking from mugs.

"Hello, darlin―Oh! You brought a friend?" The woman was the exact replica of Isabelle Lightwood. Tall, slim with dark hair in a bun. The only difference was her blue eyes. The looked at her curiously.

"Hey, mom. This is Clary. She came to help Jace with some of his homework." The two adults stood up to greet her.

"Hello, Clary. I'm Maryse. This is Robert." She said pointing at the man beside her. He smiled warmly.

"Nice to meet you, Clary." He smiled. He was an inch or two smaller than Maryse, with dark brown hair and warm grey eyes. They were a happy couple, Clary could see. "Now, go do your homework kids! And good luck with Jace." He winked and Clary giggled.

From the living room you could hear a faint, "I heard that!"

"I'll do my best. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. And Mr. Lightwood." Clary smiled.

"Oh, please! Call us by our names! Mr. and Mrs. makes us feel old!" Maryse laughed.

"Fine. Maryse and Robert, it was nice meeting you." Clary smiled once more before Isabelle dragged her back to the living room were Jace was waiting.

"If you want go with Isabelle. I'll be in my room when you want to start." He smiled and left to the stairs.

"Did Jace just… smile?" Isabelle shuddered. "That was weird."

"It certainly was." Clary laughed but she, honestly, liked Jace smiling.

They ran up the stairs and entered Isabelle's room. It was black with white furniture. A lot of clothes were on the floor. Her vanity was covered with makeup and accessories. In general: Her room was a mess.

"You know, I'm thinking of spraying around gold paint on the walls." Isabelle mussed.

"It would look good, actually." Clary said, thinking about what the final outcome would be.

"Yeah! Would you help me? Like, this weekend or something?" Isabelle sat on her unmade bed.

"Sure." Clary smiled.

They spent about half hour talking about everything and anything, except the movies. Isabelle wasn't fully content with Clary about the Justin Beiber subject. Finally, Clary told Isabelle she should get going to help Jace. Isabelle agreed. She almost closed the door of Isabelle's room when she remembered:

"Where is Jace's room?" She asked.

"Oh, right. It's the last one on the hall to the right."

"Thanks, Iz. See you in a bit." Clary smiled and Isabelle returned it.

Clary walked the hall. The walls were littered with photos of the family in frames. Alec, Jace, Isabelle, Maryse, Robert, and a young copy of Robert. A kid with glasses over grey eyes and tousled brown hair.

She stopped and looked at one. It was Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and the small boy. It was possibly taken about a year or two ago. The small boy looked about seven. It was one of those family portraits you take in a studio. There were two. They were all smiling, in their best clothes, all groomed. The second one was comic. Jace was grinning and trying to do a wet-willie to Isabelle. She looked ready to bite Jace's finger off. Alec rolled his eyes. The unknown boy seemed to be grinning even more than before, missing a tooth, with hands behind his back.

"That's Max." Clary jumped a little as she heard Jace's voice. He was leaning against the doorframe of his room, arms crossed. He had changed from his T-shirt to a tank top and the outline of his muscles was visible.

"Max. Is he Alec's and Izzy's brother?" She asked him looking back at the picture.

"Was. He passed away last summer." Jace said slowly.

"That's horrible." Clary whispered. She looked back at Jace and found him staring at her warily. He was seeing how she would react. Max's death reminded her of Jonathan's. She moved away from the picture and slowly walked closer to Jace's room. He didn't move or look away from her gaze.

Once she was right in front of him, she stopped. They stayed for what felt like hours staring at each other, weighing each others emotions. She grabbed his hand, squeezed it and stepped into his room, dragging him along with her. Once they were inside she let go of his hand and closed the door. She noticed how his room was so... Clean. And white. White walls. White bedsheets. The wood cabinets were a light shade of brown. The only thing showing a little bit of color was Charles, which was in its stand at the corner of his room. She didn't comment on it, but she thought it was quite a room for a guy. Jonathan's never looked like this.

After that, they got to working on the Power Point.

o.8.o

"Oh, and he told us that if we put extra stuff, like effects and music or video, he would give us extra credit." She said as she pointed where to get the effects.

"Did he say how much? I think I zoned out the day he gave us instruction." He asked as he clicked on what she had pointed.

"No. He said it will depend. Depend on if he likes you or not, I bet." He laughed.

"Then I suppose you are getting the flat-out hundred, huh?"

"What? No! Hundred and five, mister!" They laughed. "Well, I think that's it. And if you think of putting music on then check the language. If there are profanities, he'll probably fail yo―"

"Or send you to kill me." He cut her off grinning.

"You got it." She grinned. "I think I'll bring my spork to school tomorrow." He raised an eyebrow.

"What are you going to do? Stab me to death with it?"

"I was just thinking of poking your eye out, but I guess stabbing you to death works out nice too." He fake-shuddered.

"I think I will check he lyrics twice for you."

"Thank you." She smiled and got up from the chair to grab her bag. She checked her phone. It read 7:34. "I should get going." She yawned.

"Right." He got up too. "Don't want to miss curfew do we?" She glared at him and he laughed.

They went down the stairs and while Clary said her good-byes to Maryse and Robert, Jace picked up his jacket. Isabelle came down and hugged her. Alec waved from the top of the stairs. Jace grabbed the keys of the Corvette and opened the door of the house for Clary.

"You're parents are very nice, Jace." Commented Clary.

"Yeah. They are pretty cool." He smirked and Clary rolled her eyes.

He unlocked the Corvette and opened the passenger door for Clary.

"So where do you live?" he asked. Clary told him while he sat down. "I know where that is."

When Jace fired the engine, Clary fumbled quickly with the radio until she found a song she liked.

"Elton John? You know, this is one of the only songs I like from him." Jace said, eyes on the road.

"Me too. He can be a classic and everything, but most of his songs are just too old-sounding."

"Old-sounding. You don't fail to impress, Fray." He turned the volume up and then he did what Clary had not expected.

_Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet?  
Oh, but they're so spaced out!  
B-B-B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets.  
Oh, but they're weird and they're wonderful!  
Oh, Bennie she's really keen._

Clary laughed. Jace was making face expressions and was singing exactly like Elton John. It wasn't long before Clary had joined him.

_She's got electric boots,  
A mohair suit.  
You know I read it in a magazine, Oh!_  
_B-B-B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets.  
Bennie! Bennie and the Jets!_

The song ended and they were laughing from how off-pitch they had been. Clary wiped a tear from her eye. They were just a block away from her house when Jace turned the volume low.

"It was very nice singing with you, Fray."

"I can honestly say the same, _Wayland_." They laughed. Clary pointed her house and he parked right in front of it and killed the engine.

"Clary, can I ask you something?" His voice was serious, no more humor in it.

"Uh, sure. What's up?" She unbuckled her seat belt and turned to face him. He was staring straight ahead.

"When I told you about Max… You didn't say 'I'm sorry' like everyone else always says."

"That's not really a question, Jace."

"I know. I meant, why?" He turned to look at her.

"Because I know you enough to know you don't care for pity. Actually, we hate pity." She answered, staring at his eyes the whole time. His eyes narrowed in contempt.

"We? Did something happen to you?" Clary bit her lip and turned to watch the road in front of her. He had trusted her with Max's death. She could tell him, right? He grabbed her hand and Clary looked up at him frowning. "You know you can trust me, right?"

"Yes. I trust you. I don't understand how or why, but I do in a way I haven't trusted anyone in a long time." She looked down at their hands and breathed deeply. "My mom and brother. They died last summer as well."

Clary heard Jace suck in air. Clary looked up, a glare fixed already to dare him to feel pity for her. Once their eyes met, though, she saw understanding. He understood and she couldn't have asked for more. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close. Jace tensed at first, but then hugged her back.

"Thank you, Jace." She murmured. A tear fell from her cheek and she wiped it away. He pulled away from her and got off the car. He came over to her side and opened the door for her. She got out and saw that he was smiling down at her. She smiled back and sniffed. He chuckled and she grinned. He started to walk her to the door of her house.

Once they reached the door, he grabbed her hand and cupped her cheek with the other. He brought his lips down on her cheek. A butterfly kiss that manages to make her heart leap.

"See you tomorrow, Clary." He murmured on her ear.

"Good-bye, Jace." She whispered unevenly, kicking herself internally for it.

He grinned and winked at her before he walked back to the car.

All Clary knew was that she couldn't stop smiling the rest of the night.

* * *

_:D _

_Ahh! Let me tell you, this might be my favorite chapter so far! Well, you guys will have to tell me what you think of it because if you don't then I'll make a really crappy chapter next time... xD You see that? That's being PERSUASIVE! :DD Anyways, unless you don't want all of the next chapters to be boring..._

_Review?_


	10. Chapter Nine

*******All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_WTF?- Ok Go_

_Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger- Daft Punk_

_Fireworks- You Me at Six_

_Molly Smiles- Jesse Spencer_

Enjoy! I sure did! :D

* * *

~Chapter Nine~

"Shoot." After checking the clock she glanced back to the papers. It wasn't even five seconds before her eyes went back to the clock. "Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot!" She wrote as fast as she could, cramping her hand by doing it. She finished, snatching the paper and filing it in its proper place. "Oh, science." She grabbed her bag, yelled a quick farewell to the ladies and left the office―

And bumped into someone. They both started falling. The other girl hit the ground but she never did. Firm hands were on her ribcage, pushing her up to a standing position. Once she was standing she realized the hands were not leaving her alone, and they were actually stroking her.

She pushed away and turned to the person who had helped her. She was greeted with dark eyes gleaming mischievously. She frowned and turned around to help the girl who she had bumped onto.

"Sorry. I was leaving in a hurry. Are you okay?" The girl blew the hair off her face and Clary realized who it was. Aline.

"Don't worry about it, Clary. I should have paid attention." Her voice was void of emotion. Her brown eyes were glaring at her. Clary shuddered.

"Do you girls want me to escort you to your first period? I don't mind being late." Sebastian grinned at the pair. Clary rolled her eyes and was about to answer with a "no" when Aline beat her with a:

"That would be great! Thank you, Sebastian." She grinned and got up, ignoring Clary's outstretched hand. Before she stalked off with Sebastian, she turned and glared at Clary once more. Seb winked at Clary while retreating with Aline.

Clary's frown deepened. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked towards her locker when the tardy bell rang. She sighed. She hated being late to computers, especially on a Friday. That was the only reason she had been rushing to finish in the office. Mr. Nelson―the computer teacher―would flip.

She opened her locker and started filling her bag with books. Before closing it, she grabbed a pad of tardy slips―she had received them from the office―and started writing on it. Once done, she closed her locker and started walking towards her least favorite class.

"Ms. Fray. You are late." He called from behind his stone-age computer. She stopped herself before she could start rolling her eyes and just nodded. He stretched his hand out to her without looking up from his computer, expecting the slip. She handed it to him and sat on her assigned computer.

She grabbed her textbook and started reading. That was one thing about her computer class; they barely used the computers. Mr. Nelson was always talking about how important it was to read and blah-blah-blah. Clary didn't mind; she could easily sleep through the class, although it would be impossible today. She was unable to think of anything else except what happened a few minutes ago. She would try, nonetheless.

With her forehead on her hand, she began the process of closing her eyes when she felt something tapping her arm. She looked down at her arm and saw a note. She followed the arm that was still touching the note to be met with gold eyes. She frowned while he just grinned and tapped her arm with the note again. She sighed and grabbed the note.

_I don't think I've ever seen you be late to class, Clare. Being a bad girl, are we not?_

Clary snorted, but cracked a smile. She turned to look at him and rolled her eyes. Taking out a pen from her bag, she decided not to answer his question.

_Clare? What's up with the nickname, huh?_

He read the note and started writing something.

_I don't know. So what's up? You look all grumpy today and I can swear it wasn't me who got you like that. I was here being a good boy._

She read the note and blushed. Memories of Wednesday coursing through her mind. From the fighting to the kiss. Shaking her head of the thoughts she wrote.

_Nothing. Just confused, I guess…?_

He frowned and started writing again.

_What happened? And don't say "nothing"._

She sighed. Aline and he seemed to know each other well. Maybe he knew something?

_When I was coming to class I ran into Aline. She was not so happy…_

He took a while before writing back.

_Yeah, I noticed that you two knew each other at the movies. But what do you care if Aline was mad?_

She bit her lip.

_It's complicated. Aline and I go way back. And when I saw her with you at the movies… Well, I don't know how to explain it._

He wrote two words.

_Try me._

Clary looked at Jace. She shrugged. He could know.

_Aline was Jonathan's girlfriend for three years before it happened._

He frowned still not getting the message.

_Jonathan…? _

She slapped herself internally. Of course he didn't know her brother's name. She hadn't told him.

_My brother. Could we talk about this later?_

He read and his eyed widened as he understood what she had said. He turned to her and nodded.

o.8.o

_Brr. Brr. Brr._

"Ugh!" Grabbing the pillow, she covered her head with it.

_Brr. Brr. Brr._

She began trying to hit the snooze button in the alarm when she realized it was Saturday and she had turned it off. Her phone!

She rummaged blindly through her nightstand until she felt the cold metal on her skin. Without seeing who it was she flipped the phone open.

"Hullo?" She yawned.

"Clary? Did you just wake up? Damn it! It's eleven in the morning, woman!" Isabelle's cheery voice said from the other side of the line.

"Yes. And I usually sleep until twelve if I can." She sat up. There was no way she could go back to sleep.

"Well, wake up! We are going to paint my room!" Clary could figure that Isabelle was excited.

"At eleven in the morning? Are you crazy or just delusional, Iz?"

"Does it matter? And yes, right now. I want to be able to sleep in my room today." She paused while Clary yawned. "We'll be there in fifteen."

"Wait, what?" That certainly got Clary's attention.

"We have to go buy the paint. Wear something you don't mind getting gold paint on, okay? We're there in fourteen minutes!" And she hung up.

Clary sighed and threw herself on her bed. After about a minute, she got up and after looking through her closet she went to the bathroom. Isabelle sure was persuasive.

o.8.o

"So, I take it you are not a morning person, Clare?" Jace asked from the front seat. He was fairly enthusiastic about throwing paint into a wall. Alec, on the other hand, was yawning every five seconds, making Clary yawn after him.

"I don't know why," yawn, "you would think that." Jace laughed and Alec chuckled.

"Wow, Clary! You have to live life! Getting up early makes you see the whole day!" Isabelle said with a big smile on her face.

"But by doing that you get tired later. I prefer to stay up late than wake up early." Clary yawned. Isabelle shrugged.

"Fair statement." Clary looked out Jace's window and saw the huge orange square.

"The Home Depot." She mimicked the spokesperson in the TV. She received a few chuckles and giggles. Alec parked and they filed out to buy some gold paint and sponges.

Clary noticed that Isabelle was dressed normally. Not Isabelle-normal, but people-normal. She was wearing some dark-washed jeans and a purple T-shirt. She was wearing Puma sneakers. Even in normal outfit, Isabelle impressed. She looked beautiful and Clary felt her self-esteem dropping.

"Incredible, don't you think?" Clary turned to Jace, who was watching Isabelle walking next to Alec.

"What is?" She asked.

"That Isabelle can dress normally." He shook his head with a smile on his face. He was wearing an almost see-through white T-shirt and washed-out jeans that hung low on his hips. His hands were in the back pockets of his jeans, making it easier to show off his well defined triceps. His blonde bangs were hanging low on top of his eyes, making an incredible shadow that made his eyes brighter. Clary felt her hand twitching, and looked away.

"Yeah, I suppose." She was wearing an olive green T-shirt that she believed if she got a fair amount of paint on, it would look great. She also got some old pair of black Chuck's for the same reason. She had grabbed a pair of torn-up skinny jeans on the way.

"Are you an artist?" Clary almost tripped, but Jace grabbed her elbow and righted her right away. Clary shivered at his touch. "Careful there." He chuckled low, sending another shiver down her spine. "So are you good with the brush?"

"Uh, you could say…?" Her voice shook slightly, and she punched herself internally for her lameness.

"Good. Because Alec, Iz, and I suck at it. We need a person who actually knows how to do it." Clary giggled, nervous.

"I thought we were just sponging gold paint into the wall? You don't really need skills for that, do you?"

"No. I was just messing around." He grinned down at her and she rolled her eyes. Her phone started vibrating in her pocket and she fished it out.

"Sorry," she murmured to Jace. He nodded. "Hello?"

"Hey, Clary!" Simon's voice was barely audible from the background music.

"Oh, Si." She smiled. "What's up?"

"Well, just thinking if you would like a match with the best CoD players!"

"I would love that, really." She rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to play Call of Duty on a Saturday. "But I'm helping Isabelle paint her room today. So, yea―Wait. Did you say players?"

"Oh, yeah! Maia rocks at this game! She almost beat me last round!"

"Just because you knocked my controller off my hands!" Clary heard in the background Maia's voice. She giggled.

"Simon, if Maia is better, just let it be! Be a good loser!" Simon sighed from the other line.

"I suppose," he said, "Not!" Clary laughed.

"Fine! Well, I've got go, Loser. Bye!" She hung up before he could say anything else.

"I don't understand how you are friends with him." Jace shook his head from beside her.

"Would you believe me if I told you I don't understand that either?" She grinned.

o.8.o

Twenty minutes later they were in the car on their way to the Lightwood's residence with gold paint and a few sponges on a bag in the backseat between Isabelle and Clary. Isabelle was grinning wildly and Clary couldn't help but laugh every few seconds. They were all bobbing their heads to the music coming from the speakers. It was an addicting techno mix.

They were greeted by Maryse and Robert in the living room when they came into the house. They smiled and told them to get going to whatever they were up to.

Clary went started walking up the stairs next to Isabelle.

"So they know what we are going to?" She whispered.

"Nope." Isabelle grinned. "They respect our privacy."

Clary laughed and started taking the stairs faster. She couldn't wait to get started.

o.8.o

They started covering everything. All of Isabelle's clothes went on top of her bed and then the bathroom curtain was put on top of it to prevent it from getting any paint. The grabbed garbage bags and covered the dresser and vanity table. Anything else was thrown on the hallway. When they thought they could start, Jace and Alec began opening the can of paint, both grinning.

"Wait!" Isabelle called as she opened the door of her closet and grabbed something. She held them out and grinned.

"Bandanas, Iz? Really?" Jace asked, frowning at the objects.

"Well, no way in hell am I getting high." Clary grabbed a white one.

"Me too." Alec got the blue one.

"I'm taking the purple one, so that just leaves the pink one for you, darling." Isabelle grinned evilly at her adoptive brother.

"Ah, fuck it." He grabbed one and saw Clary glaring at him. He raised his hands in defeat. "I mean, whatever." Isabelle laughed. Alec was at a loss.

"What's happening here?" He asked.

Isabelle draped an arm around Clary. "Our dear, Clary, is a profanity hater."

"Uh huh." Clary nodded. "By the way, even if I was half asleep, when you called you used the D-word." Clary glared at Isabelle. Her eyes widened.

"Uh, no. Of course not. Jace, give me the pink. You can have the purple." Jace and Clary grinned at each other. Alec just snorted.

"Can we get started?" Alec asked annoyed.

"Yes!" Isabelle jumped and tied the bandana on top of her nose and mouth. Everybody followed suit and Jace and Alec were opening the can in no time.

o.8.o

Two hours later, the room looked like someone had spit glitter in it, but in a good way. They were all full of paint. Alec had left a little after they were done to take a shower, but Jace, Isabelle, and Clary just sat against the wall gazing at the work.

"It looks great!" Isabelle said.

"Awesome." Jace supplied.

"Incredible." Clary sighed. She was sitting on the other wall sitting in front of Isabelle and Jace. They sat next to each other, smiling. Without knowing what she was doing, she grabbed a notebook from Isabelle's plastic-covered desk and a pencil. Jace started getting up to see what was wrong. "Don't move!" She instructed and he obeyed. They shrugged off Clary's weird attitude and started talking again. Smiling. Being a family as they were.

Clary started outlining the faces. The smudged gold paint remains. Then she drew the bodies. There body language showed how much they trusted each other; how they were at ease with themselves. When she was done, she saw―in the drawing―that Jace's face was almost covered completely, but part of his left eye and smile were visible. Isabelle was laughing with a gleam in her eyes and a genuine softness. The paint on them was almost unnoticeable since all you could see was the glee in their expression.

"Wow, Clary." She jumped and saw Jace next to her, looking at the drawing. That's when it dawned on her. She had drawn. Her hand started trembling and she got up immediately.

"Clary? Where are you going?" Isabelle started yelling, but she wasn't hearing any of it. She had to get out of there. She couldn't breath. She needed fresh air.

Halfway down the stairs the tears started coming. She went out the back door of the house and began running. Whether she was aware or not of someone following her, she just wouldn't stop running.

She didn't know where she was going; she would figure that out later. At the moment, she couldn't think of anything. The memories passed before her eyes and she just couldn't blink them away.

She felt her arm being pulled backwards and an arm grabbing her. She started to protest, kicking, yelling. The person holding her draped an arm around her back. The other hand was stroking her hair. From the warmth and the smell, she knew it was Jace. She gave up and collapsed. She grabbed onto his paint-stained shirt and sobbed. The tears streamed down her cheeks and onto his shirt, soaking it.

He kept making shushing noises and repeating her name. It was a relaxing combination. The sobs ended, but the tears wouldn't. Jace pulled back to see her. He wiped her tears with his thumb gently. Clary found herself leaning into his touch. With his other hand, Jace started moving Clary's curls out of her face. Clary was focused on his eyes: as dark and bright as the paint covering his cheeks.

They were so close. Centimeters apart. Her eyes drifted to his half-opened lips. They were so full, looked well. Jace's shirt was still being tightly gripped by Clary's small hands, and she was pulling him down unconsciously. His hands cupped her face securely, not tight.

His lips had touched hers and Clary felt the biggest shiver ever go up her spine. She shuddered, but before she could pull Jace down harder, she let out an embarrassing hiccup.

They broke away and Jace laughed. Clary grinned. She saw how white her knuckles were from how tightly she was grabbing Jace's shirt. She let it go and straightened his shirt unconsciously, laughing nervously.

"I'm sorry. I ruined your shirt." Clary said quietly, looking at the cement underneath, heat flooding her cheeks in embarrassment. Jace grabbed her chin and made her look at him. A grin was taking over his whole face.

"I don't care, Clary." He bent down and kissed her forehead. She hiccupped again. His grin impossibly widened. Then she did it again. And again. And again. Jace started laughing. "Come on. You made a grand exit when you left my house. You practically destroyed that kitchen on your way out."

"I," hiccup, "did?" He grinned down at her while leading her to the house.

"No. Just dropped Maryse's favorite pan." Clary's eyes widened.

"Oh, no!" Hiccup. "Darn it." He laughed.

"The day you cuss will be the best day ever!"

"Or," hiccup, "the day of," hiccup, "the apocalypse." He chuckled and she smiled.

Before they walked inside the house, Jace bent down at ear level with her.

"You are beautiful when you smile."

* * *

_:DD  
So, who thinks this was better than the last chapter? I do! God, this was planned in my mind, I just didn't know how to get from Point A to Point B. But my badass BFF 07XReflectional helped me! :D I love you, darling! I wanted to thank all my annonymous reviews! I don't have time right now to answer to all of you, but just know that I love you all! Now guys, if you guys think I'm missing anything, don't worry on telling me. Alec's and Clary's relationship in building, is it not? :D Now, to tell me any of this, you just have to, wait for it..._

_Review?_


	11. Chapter Ten

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race- Fall Out Boy_

_Amsterdam- Coldplay_

_Mientes Tan Bien- Sin Bandera_

_Us__- Regina Spektor_

* * *

~Chapter Ten~

**FOLLOWING WEEK: THURSDAY**

A heavy sigh broke through the perfect lips of Jace Wayland. He looked back inconspicuously and saw them still following him. So, maybe he did not like walking alone―Alec was not with him because he had Forensics while Jace had Astronomy―but having the school's skanks following ten feet behind him was just pathetic. Well, at least for him. Any other guy would be happy as hell, but Jace saw it as stupid. Those girls had better stuff to do than just follow him, didn't they?

He returned his gaze back to the backs of heads of most of the student body. They were all so different. Different colors, styles, length―

Suddenly, a burst of copper was visible from the side of his eye. He smirked as he saw the curls bouncing hurriedly. He was thinking of stopping her, just to piss her off. But that didn't happen because she stopped herself, and then ran faster, with new determination taking over her usually carefree face.

Jace frowned and followed with his eyes the short girl. Suddenly, she turned a brunette around and started asking her something exasperated. Jace was close enough to hear the ending of the sentence.

"―so different around me." Jace was facing their profiles. Aline's was slightly annoyed and Clary's was proud and tall, even if that was hard to achieve with her height.

"Really, Clary? You come to talk crap about _me_ treating _you_ badly? _Please_!" Aline talked loud enough to grab the attention of a few while crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the other girl. Clary looks truly confused.

Clary changed her face to stoic. It was obvious she wouldn't take all that bullshit just because.

"Aline, whatever you think I did, I'm pretty sure you've got it wrong. You are the one being the Grade A―" Was she really going to say it? Jace was waiting when she just finished with a triumphant, "―Bolshevik." Clary grinned as she saw Aline's face contort into misunderstanding. Jace chuckled. A few people had already gathered around, wishing for a cat fight.

Aline shook her head. "You and your stupid profanity rule. Look, bitch," anybody else wouldn't have noticed Clary's small hands clenching, but Jace did, "I don't have time for your stupid games. You just fucking want to be like me!" Clary was glaring and when Aline finished she snorted.

"Really? Why would I want to be like you? All my life I believed that you were a better person than those skanks over there," she pointed a little to the right of Jace, where the skanks were watching, some shrieking outraged, "but it's obvious you are just as bad." A full crowd was around them, watching eagerly. Jace would have gone up and broken the verbal fight, but Clary would never forgive him. The tardy bell was heard from afar. But no one seemed to care as no one moved from their spot.

"Look who's talking! You are the one that took my boyfriend!" Aline screamed. Clary, horror scattered on her face, stepped back. Her horror quickly faded into rage as her cheeks flooded with blood.

"Are you sick or what? You're boyfriend was Jonathan! My brother! How the hell could you say something like that!" She was screaming, fury in every single syllable.

Aline shrugged indifferently, which just seemed to make Clary the more angry. "Who was talking about Jonathan?" She began glaring at Clary again. "I mean Jace, you whore!" Clary's and Jace's reaction was the same that could only be described in one word; puzzlement.

Clary looked up at the sky, and then cracked a smile, letting out a short chuckle. Jace had to admit that the sound was incredible if it weren't for the flame in her eyes. "Jace? What does he have to do in any of this?" She lifted her hands in a, "hello..?" gesture.

Aline's eyes blazed. "You were jealous at the movies! You saw us together and you just wanted to take him away from me! Can't you find your own men, Clary?" Jace didn't remember a time where he asked Aline to be his girlfriend…

Clary's eyes widened. "Jace? You think I was jealous of Jace?" Clary sighed, defeated. Jace frowned. What did that mean? "I'll admit," she said in a small voice, "I was jealous." Gasps were heard from all around the girls and Aline was smiling smugly. Jace didn't know what to think. "But I wasn't jealous of you and Jace. I couldn't have cared less." She picked her gaze from the floor to Aline's. "I was jealous of your capability of being happy." Her voice grew and started shaking.

"When I saw you smiling and laughing with Jace, all I could think was, 'why can't I be happy like that?' Yes. I smile and laugh, but there is always pain underneath. You looked genuinely happy. I suppose I should be glad you are moving on but―"

"Moving on?" Aline interrupted, rather rudely. She snorted. "Please, Clary. That's pathetic! I moved on a week after the accident. Jonathan was just an episode in my life. Before him, I was just Aline. When I went out with him, I became The Aline!" She grinned. "You see? It's all about status, sweetie." Jace couldn't believe what had just come out of Aline's mouth. She was cruel bitch, and Clary didn't deserve to be talked like that.

Jace needed to break this.

o.8.o

Clary let the meaning of that sink in. Everything Aline had lived with Jonathan was a game for her. It was just a game…

_You see? It's all about status, sweetie._

Blood rose to her cheeks as she felt fire welling in her stomach. Before she knew what she was about to do, she walked up to Aline―almost six inches taller―and connected her open hand with her cheek. A loud "snap!" was heard as Aline stood there motionless. Suddenly, her tongue went lose as she felt tears blurring her vision.

"You are the biggest slut in the world!" Yelled Clary. Aline's face was shocked and she tried to hit Clary back. Before she could advance on Clary, Isabelle grabbed her hand.

"Try opening that pretty mouth of yours again and I swear tomorrow you won't be able to feel it at all." Isabelle threatened as she saw Aline try to get out of her grasp.

Clary felt skinny arms restraining her. She tried to break free, but it was obvious the girl holding her was stronger. That didn't stop her mouth, though.

"I have a new respect for Kalie and her groupies over there!" Clary yelled. "They at least make it obvious that they don't want anything serious! But you? You acted like Mother Teresa when you are not even half the woman Kalie is! And yo―" The knot in her throat got the better of her. She started sobbing. She felt a change in arms, from the skinny to strong, bold arms. Warm arms.

She leaned her head against the chest of the person and felt the vibrations of him speaking.

"Forgive me, Clary." He whispered to her before he yelled at Aline. "Do you realize you just downgraded yourself from sweet girl to a fucking whore? You just can't go around fucking around with people's lives! You should be considerate instead of selfish. You won't get anywhere with that smartass mouth of yours." Clary felt Jace dragging her out of the circle of spectators as she soaked his shirt once again.

"And just for the record; we were _never_ an item." He made sure to put as much emphasis in the word "never" as possible. "Thank God for that. And, you know what? I would pick Clary over you any day! She's better in so many ways that you could never compete against her." Clary was sure Jace knew he was being a dipstick, but she supposed that Aline deserved it. Jace scooped her up and started walking away from where Clary's fourth period class was, but she just couldn't find it in her to care.

"Where are you taking her?" Clary could hear Isabelle asking over her sobs.

"To her house. I'll be back by fifth period. I'm taking the car, okay?" Clary supposed Isabelle nodded since there was just silence and then the sound of heels clacking away from them.

Clary could feel each step Jace took. Firm, hard, but relaxed at the same time. The rhythm was almost rocking her, but the sobs just wouldn't let her fall into the black abyss of sleep.

She felt him trying to get something into his pocket. She wanted to ask him to put her down, but when she opened her mouth, no sound would come out.

He opened the passenger door and laid her down carefully; keeping her head from hitting the hood of the car, getting a blanket from the backseat and draping it over her. Grabbing the seatbelt, he hooked it in its place. Then he closed the door carefully and practically ran to the driver's side. Clary started wiping away the tears from her eyes for her to be able to see.

As Jace closed the door to his side, Clary looked up and saw him looking down at her. Worry, distress, anger―they were all visible in the lines of his forehead and in the pupils or his yellow eyes. He smiled at her and reached up to wipe some of her tears off her cheeks. Clary closed her eyes, brought her hands up, and laced her fingers with his. She opened her eyes to see him looking at her with such intensity; all anger and worry gone.

The tears were still running, but for some reason, seeing Jace looking at her like that made her smile. She was rewarded with like looked like his eyes brightening. He bent down and kissed her forehead. Then his hands left her face to start the car.

He started driving, and Clary was hugging the blanket Jace had provided for dear life. She was looking out the window, thinking of all the days Jonathan would keep her up just to talk about how awesome Aline was. But everything had been false. What was worse was that nobody suspected that maybe she was lying to them all along.

"Is Luke home? I don't want to leave you alone." Jace said, snapping her out of her reverie.

"No. He left yesterday for Washington DC." Her voice was harsh after crying so much. "New shipment of books in his favorite bookstore." Clary smiled thinking of Luke, on his truck, with a big smile, looking forward to purchasing books for his bookstore. Jace chuckled.

"Well, looks like I have babysitting duty now, huh?" He grinned.

"Darn it," murmured Clary loud enough for Jace to hear. He turned to look at her, but she was grinning.

o.8.o

Jace waited for Clary to fish her keys out of her backpack. He didn't know what he would do here, but he was sure as hell not leaving Clary alone.

"Finally!" She breathed out as she put the key in its designated hole. She opened the door and threw her bag on the floor. Jace followed suit.

"So, who takes care of the bookstore while Luke is gone?" He asked to make conversation.

"Jerry. He is an employee of Luke's." Clary started walking inside the house and Jace had nothing else but to follow her.

Jace, himself, had never been inside the house. The walls were decorated with intricate drawings. He wondered if it was Clary who had drawn them. He still had that drawing that she had made back at his house. He saw Clary walking towards the kitchen. He followed; of course she would be hungry.

When he entered the tiled room, though, he found out that she was going out the other entryway; towards the dining table. He frowned, but continued nonetheless. Just when he passed, the arch did he see where Clary was going.

On the other side of the dining table and in front of a grand window was a beautiful black piano. He moved towards it slowly, looking at the fine wood that covered the ivory keys. He wondered in what condition they would be. Was the piano in tune?

A scraping sound brought him back as he saw Clary sliding one of the dining table chairs towards the piano. He thought she would sit down next to it, but then she stood on the chair and got on top of the piano.

"Clary… That is not a bed. I believe you're bed is in your room. And even if the piano _was _comfortable, I think the coach would be much better, don't you think?" He asked as she laid back on the wood of the piano. She ignored his comment.

"When I was little, I used to think, 'if I just lie like this and let the vibrations hit my lungs and open my mouth, the notes will come out my mouth.'" She smiled, remembering.

She stared blankly at the ceiling while Jace discreetly sat on the stool of the piano. He opened it carefully, as if to not break it. He saw that not a particle of dust had touched the keys. He looked back at the redhead on top of the piano that had apparently not noticed anything, a smile still lingering on her lips.

Slowly, he brought his fingers down on the keys, testing. He checked for the piano to be in tune, and thankfully it was. He saw Clary tense at the feel of the notes. _Maybe not a lot of people come and just take over her piano? _he thought.

He stopped as he racked his brain for a song. Almost, out of their own accord, his fingers started moving lazily on the keys, playing one of his many favorite songs.

_Come on. Oh, my star is fading.  
I swerve out of control.  
If I, if I only waited,  
I'd not be stuck here in this hole._

Jace saw Clary's shoulders relax against the music. Her hand was moving to the beat of the song, and maybe it was just him, but it looked as if she were mumbling the words along with him.

_Come here. Oh, my star is fading.  
And I swerve out of control.  
I swear I waited, and waited.  
I have to get out of this hole._

The verse was one of Jace's favorite parts of this particular song. But what made it even more special at that moment was that a sweet soprano voice joined his deep tenor.

_But time is on your side, is on your side now.  
Not pushing you down, and all around.  
It's no cause for concern._

In the sixteen measures that contained no lyrics, Clary turned around, so that her belly was now touching the wood. Her elbows were resting on the wood as well, one hand supporting her face as she looked at him.

"Didn't know you could play." She stated.

"Didn't know you knew the song." He countered.

"Did I ever mention I'm a big fan of Coldplay?" She asked and he just shook his head as he looked down at his hands working the piano.

_Come on. Oh, my star is fading.  
And I see no chance of release.  
And I know I'm dead on the surface,  
But I'm screaming underneath._

And she joined him again, and when Jace looked up to her, he saw her bobbing her head to the sides, curls flying everywhere. Her eyes closed.

_And time is on your side, is on your side now.  
Not pushing you down, and all around.  
No, it's no cause for concern._

Clary's eyes flew open at that moment and Jace got lost in the gold flecks that appeared around her green eyes. They seemed to be shining. Jace couldn't look anywhere else. It was as if her eyes were hypnotic. Her eyes looked, to Jace, curious, and if he wasn't mistaken, they had a hint of amusement to them. He raised an eyebrow and began singing the last stanzas.

_Stuck on the end of this ball and chain,  
And I'm on my way back down again.  
Stood on a bridge, tied to the noose,  
Sick to the stomach._

Clary began to get on the mood, because Jace saw how her hands began banging the piano to how the guitar was supposed to go. Her head was bobbing more than it was before. The only thing that hadn't changed was that her eyes were still connected to Jace's. He noticed how her freckles seemed to cover her nose in an adorable way. Jace looked down again to his hands, and started playing with a little more force hitting the keys.

_You can say what you mean,  
But it won't change a thing.  
I'm sick of the secrets._

_Stood on the edge,  
Tied to the noose,  
But she came along and she cut me loose._

Confident on his fingers, he looked up to Clary, a new intensity in his eyes. He noticed that he had caught Clary by surprise, since she gasped and her head stopped moving completely and looked at his eyes with equal intensity. Just then did he notice how close their faces were to each other but if Clary noticed, she didn't do anything. He took a deep breath and sang what was left.

_You came along and you cut me loose.  
You came along and you cut me loose._

His hands stopped moving completely. Clary was still looking at him, no emotion visible. Jace noticed a small curl at the corner of her eye and, without thinking about what he was doing, he moved it and tucked it behind her ear. He felt her shiver at his touch, and if it had been any other girl, he would've smirked, but he had felt the shock as well. His hand lingered on her jaw as he tried to remove the still fresh tear marks on her face with his thumb.

Jace brought his other hand to cup her right cheek. He glanced from one of her doll-eyes to the other as they were doing the same to his. While he saw how the golden flecks in her eyes grew, he felt drawn to her. Drawn to her beauty, her warmth. Drawn to her slightly-opened dark pink lips. Her eyes began to shut…

It was nothing like the last time. If anything it was ten times better, for it wasn't interrupted by embarrassing sounds. Jace could feel how soft her lips were and the warmth in her breaths as it hit his cheek. Suddenly, Jace felt like it wasn't enough. He needed more and without pondering if he should or not, he asked for entrance as he bit her bottom lip.

She gasped, and he took that as a yes. The only thing that Jace could think was that if Maryse's banana pie was heaven, then this was Olympus! She tasted of lemons and chocolates. Rare combination, but the taste intoxicated Jace and he wanted more. He knew she felt the same way by how her hands were tugging on his hair towards her.

He got up slowly from the bench without breaking the kiss. Clary, supported by her hands around Jace's neck, brought her knees in front of her so that she was sitting on the piano. Jace moved one of his hands to the back of her neck and the other to the small of her back, pulling her flush against him. Her legs were on either side of him.

She began caressing his scalp with her nails and he let out an involuntary groan. He felt her smile against his lips and then she broke away.

Jace opened his eyes to see her breathing heavy, and only then did he notice that he was having a hard time getting air into his lungs. Her cheeks where flushed and a half-smile graced her lips. Jace smiled back and kissed the top of her nose; keeping her enclosed as his two hands were on either side of her thighs.

He nuzzled his head on her neck, and after regaining his breath, he whispered onto Clary's ear:

"Don't let any of what Aline said get to you. She was being a… Whatever you called her." He smiled into her neck.

"A Bolshevik." He heard her giggle. "Did you see her face? She was so puzzled! I wanted to laugh right then and there!" She paused. "That's why you apologized, huh? Because you cussed at her." She stated and he chuckled.

"Yeah. I didn't want you to take out your frustration on me later on."

"Well, if you hadn't noticed, I already took my frustration out on you. Just, you know, not yelling." They laughed. She gently grabbed his head and made him look at her. "Why that song?" He frowned. "Why did you decide to play that song out of all of the ones that there are?"

"The song talks about―"

"Jace, I know what the song's about. Almost every Coldplay song is about suicide." Jace looked at the freckles adorning her nose and then raised his gaze to her eyes.

"Yes. Amsterdam is about suicide, but at the end the person gets saved. By who? Depends. God, a friend, a lover." He sighed. "The first day I met you, you ran off. Then I found you crying. Every time I would see you, the situation was different from the last, but they still added up." He noticed how her brow furrowed in confusion. He sighed again. "You were―still are―broken. I see how you isolate yourself from everyone―well, except for Simon. You were so intriguing from day one, like a puzzle, and I wanted to figure you out." He cradled her face with his hands. "I feel alive when you are around me. You challenge me. You annoy me. You scare me. And still, I can't seem to get enough of you." A tear fell from one of her eyes and he took a hold of it before it could slide down.

"Jace." She whispered, and he relished on the way his name sounded so right on her breath. "While you got me all coded down, I still can't figure you out." She let out a breathy laugh.

He looked at her. _God, she's beautiful_, was the only thought in his head. Her sharp features were so contradictory to her soft demeanor. Her small round nose, covered in freckles and still rosy, was so sweet. But her lips. Oh, those lips! They shared clever words with every one of her breaths.

"One day, Clare. One day you will." He leaned down to kiss her one more time. As her lips waited anxious, they heard the lock from the front door being opened. Her breath caught and she looked towards the archway.

"He can't be back yet, can he? Ugh, darn it! How am I going to explain that I'm not at school?" She looked shocked at Jace. Suddenly he got an idea.

"We are in lunch. You forgot something. I offered a ride. I'm doing sandwiches in the kitchen. You just wait here." He kissed her forehead and went towards the kitchen as she got off the piano.

He started rummaging through the cupboards looking for bread. He could hear someone―most likely Luke―dropping boxes on the front door. Once he found the bread, he set it down and went to the refrigerator to get ham and mayonnaise. As he picked a knife and started opening the jar of mayo he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen.

Jace turned to the archway, no emotion on his face, as a man came into the kitchen. The man was in his late forties with brown hair and blue eyes covered in glasses. He was Jace's same height and sported jeans and a flannel shirt. Jace almost drop the knife as recognition hit him, but he held on to it.

The man stopped short when he caught sight of Jace. He raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak but never had the chance to.

Fast-beat notes started floating softly through the space and started becoming louder at the second. Jace turned to the dining table, and without looking back to the man, he set down the knife and began walking towards the source of music.

When he walked through the arch, he found a red blur moving its hands quickly against the piano and then accompanied by a voice.

_They made a statue of us,  
And then put it on a mountain top.  
Now tourists come and stare at us,  
Blow bubbles with their gum,  
Take photographs, have fun. Have fun._

Jace felt the man walk up next to him. He didn't turn around to acknowledge his presence, for his attention was focused on the small frame of the girl with the bouncing red curls. He smirked as he noticed the sly smile in her lips as she kept her face down.

_But we're living in a den of thieves,  
Rummaging for answers in the pages.  
We're living in a den of thieves,  
And it's contagious.  
And it's contagious.  
And it's contagious._

Clarissa Fray didn't fail to impress Jace Wayland. She was incredible at everything she did.

_Oh! Ah!_

Her eyes were closed and it was almost like she didn't know they were their, but the smirk on her face made him think otherwise.

_They made a statue of us.  
The tourists come and stare at us.  
The sculptor marvels sends his regards.  
They made a statue of us.  
They made a statue of us.  
Our noses have begun to rust!_

She finished singing the chorus, and finally her Speedy Gonzalez hands stopped moving. Jace was thinking about how such small hands could play so good!

Her green eyes landed on them. She smiled at Jace, miming his smile, and then looked at the man.

"Luke!" Her eyes widened and her smile faltered as she stood up. She walked over to Luke. Jace took a look at him. He looked awestruck, as if he had seen something impossible.

"You were playing." He stated, not asked. Clary grinned and hugged Luke.

"Yes. I was." She opened her eyes to wink at Jace. He smirked. She pulled back and turned Luke towards Jace. "Jace, this is Luke, my stepfather. Luke, this is Jace. He's a friend." Jace noticed her blush as she said the word "friend". Jace grinned. They shook hands.

"Nice meeting you, Jace." He smiled kindly, and Jace decided that he liked the man. He was exactly like the last time he had seen him, but then that meant that Clary was…

His smile faltered slightly, and then he grinned again, like nothing had happened. He looked down at Clary and, by her frown, he knew she had seen it. He looked back at Luke's grinning face.

"So, why aren't you two at school?" Luke frowned.

"We are in lunch. I forgot something for next class and Jace offered to give me a ride since I would not make it walking." Clary smiled charmingly and Jace almost believed her.

"Oh, well, I don't think you have time to do sandwiches, Jace." Luke smiled. "Why don't you two go buy something at a McDonald's or something? I'll pay." He started getting his wallet out but Jace interfered.

"No, don't worry about it." Jace said and smiled. Luke shrugged.

"Fine then. You two should get going, I believe?"

"Yes. We can't be late to Calculus!" She nodded and hugged Luke. Jace shook hands with Luke and they were off.

o.8.o

"Since when do you lie so well?" He asked mockingly as they picked there food the McDonalds.

"Since I met you." She took a sip of her orange flavor soda while smirking. He snorted.

"Of course. How could I forget?" He started driving towards the school.

As they sat in silence, Jace couldn't help but think of the last summer, when he had seen the funeral mob coming out of the building. The sad man. The short girl with black clothes. The one with piercing green eyes. How could he not see it before? It was her all along! And only when he did see Luke did he realize it.

He parked on a space a bit farther than normal. They began eating in silence. Soft music was coming out from the radio and every time commercials came on, they both would try to change the station. Then they would laugh at each other.

When they were done, Jace got out of the car, and came to the other side to open her door. She got out and grabbed his arm when he had started walking away.

"Jace, wait." She whispered. He turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Do you think we could, uh, keep this in between us?" He frowned and she took a deep breath. "For a while only. It's just—at the moment—the last thing I want is to be the center of attention. Aline accused me of this exactly."

"The only difference is that I never liked Aline." He replied. Clary smiled and then started grinning. "What?" He asked, confused.

"You, Jace Wayland, like me?" Her grin was smug, but Jace thought it looked hot as hell.

"No. I just want you for fun." He rolled his eyes. "Of course I like you, Clary." She bit her lip, smiling. She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

"If you're a good boy, maybe you'll get more than that." She said.

"Are you teasing me, Clarissa?" He raised his eyebrows. She tossed her backpack over her shoulder and started walking towards the school, leaving Jace looking after her.

"Maybe." She replied, laughing.

* * *

_;D_

_Eh, eh? Did it satisfy your needs? xD It was in Jace's POV most of the time! This chapter was the longest I've written, AND I brought to all you EARLY! It's WEDNESDAY! I usually update Saturday, so, you should be thanking me. xD Just kidding. Tell me, guys, what you thought of this chapter? Was it too mushy? Too angsty? xD The action was for ShadowhuntingMundie, who specially asked for it, and for my BFF 07XReflectional that gave me ideas. :DD Now, I'm really happy with you guys, and to make me MORE happy, all you have to do is,_

_Review? ;D_


	12. Chapter Eleven

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Tyrant- One Republic_

_According To Plan- I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness_

_Wonderwall- Oasis_

_Enjoy! :D_

* * *

~Chapter Eleven~

Walking down the rampaged streets of New York was Clary Fray. She was oblivious to the sounds and noises around her thanks to the music blasting from her headphones. Her head bobbed with the music as she made her way to school.

Tyrant by One Republic was playing and she couldn't help but smile. It was the first Monday of February and Clary couldn't stop the memories of the last Thursday coming to her mind as heat flooded her grinning cheeks.

She felt a vibration on her leg and jumped. Then she realized it was just her phone and rolled her eyes at herself. She got out her phone expecting a funny message from Simon and started smiling while opening it. But instead what she saw only made her blush return and her grin to widen.

_**Good morning, beautiful. Can't wait to see your gorgeous red cheeks. ;) –J.**_

She shook her head and closed her phone, grin still on her face. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday had also been like this. Ever since he got her number that Thursday, he wouldn't stop sending those embarrassingly cute messages.

Five minutes later, she was in the office of the school filing paperwork jumping up and down to the music in her iPod.

"Clary!" She whirled around to see Angelina, another of the ladies that work there, calling her over. She took off her headphones and went over to where Angelina stood next to a slightly taller brunette who had her back facing Clary. The girl turned around showing a makeup free face with large round gray eyes. The girl smiled slightly at Clary. She smiled back before looking back at Angelina.

"You were calling me?" Clary asked politely.

"Yes. You see, Teresa here," she pointed to the girl, "and her brother are transfer students from Spain. Talking about your brother," Angelina turned back to the girl, Teresa, "were is he?"

Teresa smiled shyly. "He's getting something from the car. He should be here at any second. Oh, and please call me Tessa." Her voice was normal, to Clary's surprise. No accent or annoying pitch.

"Sure. Whatever." Angelina dismissed her quickly. "You're going to be showing them around, Clary."

"Okay, then." Angelina left quickly to her work station, but not before giving Clary their paperwork. Clary turned back to Tessa and smiled while pulling her hand out. "I'm Clary, by the way, although I think you already knew that." Tessa smiled and shook her hand.

"Uhu. The woman over there wasn't too subtle about it." Clary smiled.

"So, Spain, huh? You don't have an accent, you know? I suppose that's good." Clary turned around to go check their schedules.

"My mom is American so she made sure that we knew English as well as Spanish. Nate hated the idea of that, but he managed." She shrugged.

"Nate? Your brother, you mean?" Clary asked while writing down some information in their files.

"Uhu. Nathaniel. He can be a pain at times." Tessa grimaced and Clary laughed. She already liked the girl.

"I understand you." Clary finished and turned back to Tessa. "Should we wait for him?" Tessa started shaking her head, but when she turned around she stopped. Clary followed Tessa's gaze to the door where a tall, quite handsome, blonde guy was blocking the entrance. His dark brown eyes had a playful glint.

"_Se te olvido tu mochila, Tessie_." He said, passing Tessa a yellow backpack. His gaze passed to Clary and he smiled. _"¿Quien es tu amiga?"_ Clary smiled and stepped forward before Tessa could say anything.

"_Clary. Mucho gusto."_ She shook his hand. He looked surprised and raised an eyebrow. Clary contained herself before growling.

"You know Spanish?" He asked after taking his hand back.

"Yes. My mom loved Spanish and made me and—me and my brother learn Spanish." Clary realized that, even though she got caught, she could, in a way, talk about Jonathan.

"Cool." Tessa said and smiled. After that, Clary went back on tour guide mode. She learnt that they were from Madrid, a little island. Lanzarote, to be more precise. Nate was a senior and Tessa a sophomore, but she had already taken most of the sophomore classes so she would be taking junior classes. Tessa had most classes with Clary and Nate had Calculus with Clary like Jace and Alec.

"What type of sports does this school have?" Asked Nate while we passed the gym.

"Hmm, I say almost all of them. Name it, and I think we have it." Clary smiled.

"Do you have baseball?" He asked. They didn't notice her hesitation.

"Yes. We do." She answered in a clipped tone, which none of the siblings noticed, or if they did, they didn't comment on it.

"Interesting." Clary agreed by nodding her head. After that, they had neutral conversations until the first bell rang, signalizing that class was about to start. They all went their separate ways.

o.8.o

"So, why aren't you in art?" Clary turned to Jace with a confused expression.

"How did we go from x and y to art?" She asked, smirking. They were supposedly "helping" each other in Calculus, though neither needed any help. They just wanted an excuse to pull their tables together. He shrugged in response to her question.

"I've noticed that your electives are school-related. You have no fun elective. No sport or activity. Maybe Food Science is kind of fun with all the burning and stuff," Clary grinned as she remembered how one of the sophomores had burned pancakes just last week. She was sure that Jace had that in mind as he was grinning just like her. "But it's still a Science credit. Taking to account that you sing, play, _and_ draw pretty good, I wondered why you have none of those electives." He responded while answering some problems in his book.

"Well, just for your information, I suck at sports. I could never dribble a ball to save my life." The corners of Jace's mouth twitched.

"I'm not going to comment on that."

"Because if you tried me, you'd see that it's true. And―" She was cut by Mr. Claiborne calling to her.

"Miss Fray, would you mind helping Mr. Gray? I'm pretty sure Mr. Wayland can manage." He turned again to his computer without looking back. Clary frowned.

"Great way to make fun of the senior; Get the junior to tutor him." Jace snorted. "Who is Mr. Gray, anyways?" Jace looked up and locked his gaze to hers.

"I think it's the new guy over there with the bleached locks." He winked and turned to the supposed guy with bleached locks. She followed Jace's gaze and saw Tessa brother, Nate. Clary remembered that he was in this class with her.

"Oh, Nate?" She shrugged. "I think they are real, though. I've seen whiter hair that is actually real." She could remember Jonathan's hair. She started getting her notebook and pen.

"You know him?" Jace raised an eyebrow. She smirked and leaned closer to him.

"Jealous, Mr. Wayland?" She got up from her desk. "Who was the one that showed you around on the first day of school?"

"I'm not jealous," he winked, "and it was you. Why—Oh. I get it." Clary giggled.

"Nice to know those gears are working." She touched the side of her head with her index finger and winked at him. He glared while she just walked away, giggling. Sitting on the back of the room had its perks. No one seemed to care about what happened behind them.

She approached Nate and smiled. "Hey! What are you struggling on?" He smiled as he looked up from his book. Clary had to admit that he radiated some sort of friendliness, just like Jace radiated confidence and cockiness. And he was cute. She sat down next to him.

"Linear equation." He answered sheepishly. She looked surprised.

"That is simple Algebra, you know? It's quite easy. x = y. Meaning that the y-intercept is 0 and the slope 1. Much like y = mx + b. Just there is no b, which is why it's 0. The m, which is the slope, is there as in 1, but it's not needed there visually since it's just 1."

"Okay. But wouldn't slope be 0 since it's not there? Just like the y-intercept?" So maybe Nate wasn't the smartest crayon on the box.

"No, because if you multiply x times 0, you get nothing. So it would be y = 0. That would be a horizontal straight line along the y-axis. But if you multiply x times 1 you get—"

"1x. But you don't need the 1, so it would be x. y = x. I get it!" Clary took her last comment back.

"Exactly." She smiled. She loved teaching math.

"Thanks, Clary." He said, smiling down at her.

"You're welcome." She smiled back. He had a contagious smile. "So, how are you liking the school?"

"_¡Es fantástica!" _He said, enthusiastically. "Everything is great! Everyone is so friendly and kind." Clary looked dumbstruck.

"Friendly and kind? Who do you have in your classes? Seriously, I want to change to them." He smiled.

"Okay, okay. Not everyone, but the people I've met, yes." He got closer and lowered his voice. "Especially you." Clary gasped just as the bell rang. She couldn't look at Nate.

"I'll see you later." She said and walked back to her seat to get her backpack where Jace was waiting for her. When she got there, he noticed right away.

"What's wrong?" He frowned and got closer. Almost more than half of the class was gone. "What did he do?" Jace's voice sounded murderous.

"Nothing." She tried for a smile, but she didn't know if it really worked. "I just remembered something."

"Yeah, right." He started walking with her on his side. "You don't fool me, Clare." They were out on the hallway, which was mostly deserted. Jace was playing with one of Clary's curls. Alec was nowhere to be seen, which was weird since he usually waited to walk with Jace.

"He just got too close for me to be comfortable. Nothing important." He stopped fiddling with the curl.

"What did he do? Did he touch you? I could hear him talking in Spanish so he could be saying something that you couldn't unders—"

"I know Spanish, Jace. He was talking about the school. '_¡Es fantástica!' '_It's fantastic.' He was complimenting the school." Jace's glare turned curious and he raised an eyebrow smirking.

_"¿Sabes español? Yo no sabia eso." _He returned to fiddling with her hair. Clary tried to ignore the shivers she got from his speaking Spanish.

"Stop that, would you?" She smacked his hand and smiled. "And yes, I do know Spanish. I didn't know _you_ knew Spanish."

"Oh, I know more than Spanish, _mademoiselle._"

"I know French too, so don't try anything." He laughed and grabbed her curl again. Clary ignored it although she was dying to smack his hand away again. Just then the bell rang.

"Darn it." She "cursed" while Jace just seemed surprised.

"That was five minutes? I'm not even close to my class." He shrugged. "I suppose that means detention for us, sweetheart." He winked down at her.

"Oh, no! I'm not getting detention." She grabbed his hand and led him to her locker.

"You know that if you want to kidnap me, you just have to ask me, right?" He said. Clary looked back to see him smirking.

"Why would I want to kidnap you? Give me one reason. And it better be good."

"Do I get bonus if I have more than one good reason?"

"Depends on the bonus."

"Okay, well, for one: I'm hot. Two: I kiss phenomenal. Three: I'm hot." They had stopped at her locker and she was putting in her combination.

"That is technically two, and who ever said that you kiss phenomenal?" Her locker opened and she started rummaging for the slips.

"Don't you think my looks deserve more than being announced once? And they've told me more than once before." She grimaced.

"I don't need to know of your past relationships." She started writing her pass in Laurie's messy cursive.

"It's not like I think of them. My girl at the moment is ten times better than all of those put together." Clary couldn't help the shiver of pleasure that passed through her at the mention of her being "his girl". She began grinning.

"Oh, really? I didn't know you were in a relationship. What class are you on right now?" She asked looking at his smirking form leaning against the locker next to hers.

"Psychology. And, indeed, I have the best girl I could have ever asked for." She turned to him.

"Psychology?" He shrugged and she wrote it, "So, tell me about this mystery girl." She gave him the pass and closed her locker. They started walking out of the hall.

"Well, she is tall. With long, straight brown hair and blue ey—" She pushed him against the lockers making him knock onto them. He grinned, and after checking for the hall to be deserted, hugged her from behind. "I think you know exactly how the so-called 'mystery girl' is." She tried to get out of his grip but it seemed futile.

"No. I don't know how she is." She crossed her arms across her chest.

"You see her everyday in your mirror." He breathed on her neck making her shiver and her heart pace to quicken.

"How do you know I have a mirror?" She turned her head to look at him. "I could be one of those cave women that have nothing but a mace to hit intruders with." They were outside by then, her head still turned to see his.

"First: You don't live in a cave. I've been to your house. Second: Mirrors can't escape that beautiful face of yours." She shook her head and before she could say anything, and after he had checked for prying eyes, he captured her lips with his.

She gasped, like she seemed to do every time and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. She turned around to grasp his neck while his hands remained in her waist. Then she broke away.

"What if they are—?"

"I checked. No one's around." And he kissed her again, and she let him. Clary thought that she would never get tired of his lips on hers. They always sent shocks through her whole body and made her feel all giddy on the inside. It was always as good as the first one.

She broke away after she started feeling lightheaded. "We have to get to class. I didn't sign in a time, so just do it before you give it to the teacher." Her eyes were still closed and her hands were resting on his shoulders. He nodded and rested his forehead on hers, his labored breath hitting her cheeks and sending new shivers up and down her spine.

"You're bad." She opened her eyes to see him grinning down at her with his eyes intent on hers. Her eyes widened.

"Why so?" She asked. He held up his slip. She giggled unevenly.

They disentangled themselves from each other and before Clary could start walking towards her Biology class, he stopped her by grabbing her hand. Another set of shocks passed through her making her shiver and grin.

"Would you help me with Food Science after school?" Her eyes widened while she tried to hide her laughter by biting her lip.

"You want to cook after school?" She couldn't help the giggles that escaped.

"I always burn the muffins. Tomorrow we have to bake them for a test." She laughed.

"Fine. Come pick me up after school so we can go buy the stuff we need. We can bake at my house." He squeezed her hand and grinned.

"At five is good for you?" He asked.

"Perfect." He winked at her and started walking away. Clary shook her head and started walking the other way. She couldn't stop grinning the whole way to her class. They had been so entranced on themselves that they had not seen a pair of not so familiar gray eyes watching everything from behind a wall.

* * *

_So...  
__Is it just me, or has this turned into a Crossover? xD It was totally not my intention! But, oh well, it happened. I just wanted to thank all of you, once again, for all your wonderful reviews! 194 reviews... Makes me smile! Well, this was going to come out yesterday but... I got sick... But! I'm all better now, so that's why this is here! Oh, and my fabulous Spanish has come out! I dedicate Tessa to my BFF 07XReflectional! :D_

_Replies!_

Anonymous1997— Thank you for checking this every once in a while to see if I have updated. It means a lot! And, I promise to update as much as I can! :D

_Adeen— Thanks for reviewing! I will update! :D_

_lanie— Sorry for not answering on the last chapter, but I was in a hurry. Well, thank you for liking my story. It means a lot to me! No kidding! I hope you are still reading! :D_

_TRANSLATIONS:  
_  
"_Se te olvido tu mochila, Tessie." _— You forgot your backpack, Tessie.

"_¿Quien es tu amiga?" — _Who is your friend?

"_Clary. Mucho gusto." — _Clary. Nice to meet you.

"_¡Es fantástica!" — _It's fantastic!

"_¿Sabes español? Yo no sabia eso." — _You know Spanish? I didn't know that.

_So, you guys want to see a very hot Jace cooking next chapter? You know how to convince me! If I don't feel conviced, I will just skip that part... Or not... xD But still,_

_Review? ;D_


	13. Chapter Twelve

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_The Perfect Mistake- Cartel_

_I Don't Know What I Can Save You From- Kings of Convenience_

_Que Lloro- Sin Bandera_

_She's So High- Tal Bachman_

_:D Enjoy! _

* * *

~Chapter Twelve~

"Here, midget," he said as his hand made its way to grab the box at the top shelf. She had been jumping up and down for a little less than half a minute. Although it amused him, he couldn't let her make more of a fool of herself. Especially in front of everyone in the supermarket. He handed her the box of baking powder. She glared at it and then at him. Jace smirked as the furrow in her brow deepened.

"I could have gotten it myself," She muttered snatching the box in a swift movement.

"I know that. But it would have taken too long for you to grow a couple of inches." He laughed as her face burned red. She turned from him and crossed her arms.

"Screw you, Jace." He heard her whisper almost to herself. His smirk grew to a grin.

"Anytime, babe. Just set the time and place." She turned around. Jace mainly focused on her huge, incredulous-looking jade eyes. He wriggled his eyebrows watching her already red cheeks turn almost purple. He sure loved pulling on her strings.

"Never!" Was the last word she said before stomping her way to the next aisle. He shook his head, smile still tugging at the corners of his lips. He pushed the shopping cart, following the path she had taken.

He saw her rounding the corner still stomping furiously. He pushed the cart as fast as he could to catch up with her when she heard someone exclaiming too happily:

"Clarissa! My dear! Oh my!" It was a definite nasal voice. Too old sounding to be too cheerful.

Jace turned to the aisle where Clary was being harassed in a too tight hug from a slightly taller woman with shoulder length brown hair. She looked around late fifties. Her crescent moon shaped glasses were slipping from her long nose as her eyes squinted trying to determine how Clary looked.

Clary turned to look over her shoulder and saw Jace. Her eyes widened and he saw her jaw tensing. Jace understood the message: _Get me out of here!_ Unfortunately for her, the woman followed Clary's gaze. It landed on Jace and it looked as if her eyes had widened, but Jace couldn't find the difference.

"Jonathan?" Jace tensed. Why did this old woman know his name? "Well, look at you! You are so tall! And look a—"

"Mrs. Alvarez, this is not Jonathan. This is a friend of mine." Clary grimaced, biting her lip. "Jonathan is not with us anymore." Those words were thrown between her clenched teeth.

"Oh, well. I guess I'll catch him another day." Obviously, this woman had no idea what Clary meant by what she had said. "Well, sweetie! It was nice seeing you here! You look so grown up now! Tell your mom I said hi!" Clary flinched visibly, but the woman was already ahead of them. Clary turned completely to Jace and shuddered.

"Fourth grade math teacher." She wrapped her arms around herself and met his eyes with a frightened glance. "I hate her!" she whispered. Jace let out a laugh and hugged her. She let him, sinking in to his chest.

"Math? Aren't you like the math wiz?" She stifled a laugh inside his chest and then pulled back, showing him a smile.

"I am. But at the time I was struggling with multiplications. And she gave me a zero because I did a project on yellow paper when she wanted it in white. I mean, racist much?" They both laughed.

"Well, I don't think we want to stay any longer. She may have forgotten to buy some diapers." Clary gasped and slapped him in the arm, but when he turned to look at her, she was biting her lip to prevent herself from laughing.

"Jace! Don't say that stuff!" She looked both ways before meeting his gaze. "But you are right. The diapers are on the aisle next to this one. Let's go." She grabbed the cart by the side while Jace took the handles and veered it towards the cashiers. It seemed like Clary had forgotten that she was mad at him. Jace smiled slightly at how Clary kept looking everywhere, as if expecting her teacher to jump out of nowhere.

o.8.o

"No, Simon. I can't tod—" She pulled the phone away to push Jace away from her. "Jace, stop it!" She hissed at him, grinning. "Sorry, Simon. What were you saying?"

"That maybe you could come over to play with Maia and me bec—" She listened patiently, although biting her lip to stop herself from laughing as Jace tried to tickle her. She kept glaring at him and telling him to stop, but he just wouldn't.

"No, I can't. I'm studying for Food Sci—" She let out a yelp as she tripped and almost fell on her face, before hands grabbed her from her waist.

"Clary? Are you okay? What happened?" Simon asked from the other side of the phone.

"What? Yes! I mean nothing! Uh, really Simon. Today I'm busy." She slapped Jace's hands away from her.

"Okay, then. Another day?" He asked.

"Yeah, okay. Bye, Si." She hung up.

She turned to Jace with a glare fixed on her face. He raised an eyebrow at her for what would be the fifth time in the day.

"So are we doing muffins?" he asked nonchalantly, putting on Luke's favorite green apron.

"That's it? Like if nothing happened?" She threw her hands in the air in suppose exasperation, but she knew that the smile on her face was probably ruining her act with Jace.

"But, nothing happened. You were just on the phone. You hung up. Can we do the muffins now?" He smiled innocently. Clary sighed, the smile in her lips growing as she thought of how sexy Jace looked smiling. It was proven. She had it bad for Jace.

"Oh, to hell with it. Where is the flour?" Jace grinned and grabbed the bag of flour with a hand. Clary thought of saying something about how he looked suspicious, but decided against it with a shrug. "Okay, let's pour it in this bowl."

She produced a bowl from a counter as Jace tore open the bag. Instantly, a puff of flour took over the air covering them both in flour.

"Like . . . this?" He asked. Clary opened her eyes to see Jace grinning at her through the particles of flour. A thought came to Clary's mind.

"No." She said as she grabbed the bag from his hands and dumping it on the bowl without care. "Like this." More flour went into the air and they were both coughing out their laughter by then.

"But I heard it was like this?" Jace said as he grabbed a handful of flour. Before she could cover her face, Jace dumped the powdery substance on her head. Clary shook her head. Piles of flour fell from her head and to the floor.

"Oh, Jace. You don't know who you are messing with." She warned him, but she was sure that Jace could see the grin taking over her face as there was a matching grin on his face.

"I do, though. I'm messing with you." She grabbed a fist of flour and threw it straight to his face. He didn't have time to duck, and the ball hit him square in the face. He opened his eyes, and Clary laughed at how contrasting his white face looked compared to his glowing amber eyes. He reminded Clary of a mime.

She laughed again at that thought, and then she felt flour on her mouth. She coughed it out and saw Jace already ready to throw another ball. She ducked as he threw flour to her. She grabbed two fists and before he could turn around, dropped them inside the back of his shirt.

Before she could even blink, Jace had her pinned against the wall. One arm was holding her around her waist, and the other on the wall. She gasped at his velocity, since she hadn't even seen it coming. His nose was touching hers and his eyes were trained on hers. He exhaled. Shivers went down her spine as his breath made contact with her red cheeks.

"You shouldn't have done that, Clare." He said in a very seductive voice. Clary found herself almost swooning in his arms. She was sure that her knees would give out anytime now. "It really tickles." Clary laughed unevenly, and she noticed that Jace seemed to like knowing what effect he had on her by the grin that grew on his face.

Suddenly, there was a white cloud in front of her eyes. Jace had dropped flour on her head. She gasped right as he covered her mouth with his. Then her knees did give out, but Jace was holding her and she was holding onto his hair.

There was a certain tacky feel while they kissed. The flour's fault. Even then, Jace managed to kiss her with such intensity that she couldn't stop from tugging him towards her even more. He groaned and pulled her impossibly closer to him. His tongue massaged hers softly and she didn't like it. She wanted rough. She pulled onto his hair and he got the message.

They pulled away breathing heavy. She opened her eyes to see the blazing gold eyes of Jace. They were sparkling. She took her hands from his neck and moved them to his cheeks. She whipped away with her thumbs some flour. She grinned as she traced a smiley face on his forehead. He raised an eyebrow.

"What did you do?" He asked. She just shrugged and looked around the kitchen noticing for the first time all the cleaning they will have to do.

"Thank Science that I had the forethought of buying a second pack of flour!" Jace looked around the kitchen and then back to her.

"Did you also buy extra mops? I think we are going to need them." He said.

"I was thinking just the same thing." She sighed, but a smile was still in her face. "Well, don't just stand there! You started this flour fight. You _will_ help clean it up!"

o.8.o

"Finally! In thirty minutes we should have baby blueberry muffins." Clary beamed as she closed the oven. She grabbed her phone and put in an alarm to go off in thirty minutes.

"Baby?" She shrugged. "Well, we could go clean ourselves in the meantime." Jace added as he propped himself in the counter. He gestured at his and her white covered clothes.

"Yeah. That might be a good idea." She smiled and led him to the bathroom. She turned on the light and laughed at their reflection in the peach bathroom. Jace's eyes widened.

"You drew a smiley face on my forehead?" He asked touching it slightly with a finger. Clary grinned.

"You looked so cute in white! I couldn't help it!" She hugged him around the waist and he chuckled, making his chest vibrate. She pulled away from Jace and looked at her white hair in the mirror.

"It's going to take sometime to take this off." She grabbed a white curl and examined it. While Jace turned on the faucet and started washing his hands and arms.

"Nothing that a good shower won't fix. I could even help you with that." He winked at her reflection as she stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes.

"You are some sick bastard, Jace." She said, but she was grinning.

"Oh, but you know you want it." He said as he dried his tanned arms with her towel.

"That can't certainly be true. I am pretty sure that I want muffins, not a shower with an arrogant mime." He frowned.

"Mime? I thought we were talking about me. And how can you know if a mime is arrogant if it doesn't even talk?" He asked throwing her the towel that he had been using.

"You are covered in white. You look like a mime." She smiled, throwing the towel back to him. "And body language helps a lot on the arrogant aspect."

"You look like one of those scary-looking porcelain dolls." He gestured to her face. "The white, unblemished face. The huge sparkly eyes. Except, of course, you aren't scary." She glared and he leaned over to kiss her. She ducked under his arm before he had the opportunity to.

"No, no. I'm going to wash my face. Besides," he pointed to his shirt, "I filled your back with flour. You should change your shirt." She left the bathroom to go look for one of Luke's shirts. She found a button up gray shirt that Luke rarely wore. Luke and Jace were about the same size. It would fit him.

When she came back into the bathroom, Jace was looking troubled at his reflection. He hadn't even noticed Clary coming in until she touched his arm and he flinched. Clary frowned but retracted her arm anyways. His eyes widened and then he was back to normal as if he had not just looked so broken just seconds before.

"Jace, is everything okay?" She asked quietly. She was sure that her frown was still in place.

"Yes. It's nothing. Is that the shirt?" She nodded.

"Take off your shirt." Clary realized how that might have sounded, but didn't care. Jace couldn't wash his back by himself. That's when Clary realized that Jace wasn't smirking or teasing her. His eyes were dark, almost brown and it sent a chill down Clary's spine, but not exactly the same type of chill his kisses sent.

"No. I'll do it myself." He made to grab the shirt from Clary's hand, but she just hid it behind her.

"Don't be stupid, Jace. You can't wash your back by yourself. Let me help you." He turned around and ran his hands through his flour-covered hair. Clary took that moment to push his shirt up from behind him.

"Clary! No!" He yelled, but Clary had already seen.

Scars covered his back, and from what Clary could see, they went on towards his torso. They were intricate scars, some faint lines, others thick and dark. Clary realized the droop of Jace's shoulders as she ran her fingers through each one. Jace couldn't have done this himself, she knew. Someone had done it. The day of his gig when his shirt had gone up . . . It had been scars what she had seen. A feeling started swelling in the pit of her stomach.

"Clary," he breathed, "leave me alone." That might have been the only time Clary had heard his voice so heartbroken. And Clary realized that she hated it.

"No, Jace." She tried to turn him around, but he wouldn't obey. She walked to stand in front of him. His eyes were shut tight. His jaw clenched. Clary reached over to grab his shoulders. He shivered slightly, but didn't push her away.

She traced the line of his arms lightly until her hands reached his hands. She grabbed his hands, she looked at the difference in tones; hers papery ivory, his tanned and calloused. She brought his hands up to her mouth and kissed each knuckle of each hand. Jace opened his eyes then and Clary kept eye contact with him as her lips brushed his skin. His eyes were unreadable, still that odd color of old gold.

"Jace," she whispered, and in one swift movement, he crushed her to his chest. Clary reached over to his back and rubbed it softly while he almost suffocated her in his embrace.

That's when Clary realized that Jace had an even worse past than her. Jace was as broken, or even more, than her. The thought of that almost made her drop to her knees. She had thought that Jace was her rock. The one person that would keep her up. But how could he help her when he needed help himself. The answer was simple.

"Jace, what happened?" She asked softly. She felt Jace shaking his head. She disentangled herself and held his face between her hands. He looked at her with pleading eyes. Her eyes went from one of his to the other. Without thinking, Clary got on tiptoes and kissed Jace hard.

Jace returned it hard as well. He held her head delicately as his fingers got tangled in her mess of flour-covered curls. He broke the kiss much too early for Clary's liking. He rested his forehead against hers. Clary opened her eyes to see his still tightly shut. Clary was about to say something when he talked.

"I want to forget, Clary. I want to. But every time I see myself, I know that it's impossible. I have these . . . These _things_ imprinted on me." Clary couldn't help but notice how his voice filled with disgust as he mentioned the scars. "I hate it. I hate them. I hate that they are on me." Clary shushed him softly.

"I understand, Jace. It's okay." She cradled his head. "Everything will be okay. I will be here with you." He looked at her with such intensity in his gold eyes.

"You will." Was all he responded. He started inhaling and exhaling. He wrinkled his nose. "Do you smell that?" Clary sniffed the air. There was flour, soap, and—what was that smell? It smelled like . . . Smoke!

"The muffins!" She shrieked and ran out of the restroom and into the kitchen where she turned off the oven. She put on the mittens and when she opened the oven, she could smell the burned blueberries even more. She sensed Jace behind her watching the whole thing. She grabbed the tray and set it on top of the table.

They were burnt. Charred. Clary just stared at them like if that would make them recover.

"That was smoking hot!" Jace said. Clary looked up at the pun and saw Jace smirking at her and then at the muffins. Clary found herself grinning at him from across the table.

"I can't make fun of you anymore for burning muffins." Clary murmured.

"Mhhm." He said while walking around the table to stand in front of her. He looked up to see the muffins and then at her. "If it makes you feel better, I had to use the fire extinguisher the last time." Clary laughed.

"Yes. That did make me feel better."

o.8.o

"But that's what I saw." She insisted.

"No._ ¡No puede ser cierto!_" He slammed his fist down on the table.

"Come on! You are overreacting. In my opinion, they won't last long." She replied sitting back in her chair.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, suddenly interested sitting up and putting his elbows on his knees. She grinned, her gray eyes sparkling mysteriously.

"I just know it."

* * *

_Mhhm, I went there. xD So, this is were I begin to apologize for the wait. Sorry! I know, two weeks. But my life has been CRAZY! Between practice AND breaking my contacts, life has been harder on me. D: Anyways, I just wanted you guys to know that updates are going to be a bit hectic. After the week of the 17th of April I will begin updating frequently again. Like I used to before. :D So, this chapter was a bit angsty and sad. So Jace does have those scars... :/ I know. And who are the not-so-mystery people at the end? xD_

_TRANSLATIONS:_

_"¡No puede ser cierto!"— _It can't be true!

_So, any requests, ideas, COMPLAINTS, you know? ;D Hit me on my profile or you could just,_

_Review? ;D_


	14. Chapter Thirteen

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Here It Goes Again- Ok Go!_

_Never Too Late- Three Days Grace_

_Emergency- Paramore_

_Break- Three Days Grace_

There is . . . descriptive language . . . in this chapter. :D Enjoy!

~Chapter Thirteen~

**FRIDAY**

"Die! Die! Die!" There was a huge _boom _coming from the TV.

"Really, Simon? We can talk about whatever through these things," Clary murmured to the microphone attached to her earpiece, "But you just use it to show how you are not killing anyone throwing those grenades around. The people are on the other side for your info."

There were a few silly comments like "Burned!" and a few kids were laughing through the earpiece. They had been playing Black Ops online for more than an hour. Clary hadn't had the time to play before with Simon, and now that she was playing, she realized how much she had missed it. Of course, killing Simon over and over again always had its perks.

"Whatever. I'm just trying to make it more like war! There were people that had no idea what they were doing, no?" Said Simon, sounding clipped due to the static.

"No." Clary replied, smiling to herself as she killed him one more time.

"Clary! You killed me behind my back? What a coward!" He yelled. Clary laughed.

"Simon, like you said; this is war. There is no mercy." Just then, the time ended and they were shown their places.

"This is why I don't ever invite you to play." Clary heard Simon murmur as she checked that—once again—she had come up in second place, leaving Simon with third and the rest of the kids behind them, except for MurderTheLot09Baby who had gotten first. Clary growled. It had been the third time in a row.

"This is not over, kid." She said. Clary heard laughter. A familiar laughter.

"I doubt that, Clary." The girl said, laughing again.

"Hey, I know that voice . . . Maia? You are 'MurderTheLot09Baby'?" Clary sat back. "You've got skills, girl."Clary smiled despite herself.

"You too! Simon can eat our dust." She yelled, and Clary could just imagine her fist-bumping the air and the image made her laugh.

"Is this the part where you two start plotting against me to carve my soul out of my body? Because I think I would like to tune that out."

"Si, we weren't even thinking of that. But now it's on our mind begging us to pay attention to. But not now. I want to play again. You guys in?" Clary asked the other two.

"Ready to be pulverized?" Simon said, to which Clary and Maia began laughing.

"I think I should be saying that." Said Maia. "Feel my wrath!"

Clary laughed. "Yup." She wiped the sweat off her hands, and then got into gamer position; hunched back, elbows supported lightly, controller ready in both hands. "Let's do this."

o.8.o

**SATURDAY**

"Why is it that the few hours in the week that I want to watch television there is nothing on?" Jace drawled from the coach where he was sitting.

"Face it; you have the worst timing in the world." Alec called, not even bothering to lift his eyes from the book in his hands. He was sitting in the red loveseat to one side of the beige sofa Jace was sitting in.

Jace ignored his comment and kept switching the channels to see if he could actually find something suitable. He had browsed through the channels two times already and he was going for the third just to do something when he heard the door open and bang hard on the wall. It had to be Maryse and Robert. Izzy was with Clary. Alec and he were the only ones home. One thing didn't add up, Maryse and Robert never banged the door. They hated when that happened because it would always leave a dent in the wall.

Jace turned to look at Alec who had his brows pulled together and was looking at the hallway that led to the front door. Alec met Jace's gaze and raised his eyebrow. Jace nodded and motioned with his head to come with him.

They walked together to the front door and stopped abruptly when they heard Maryse replied in a coldly and murderous way onto her phone.

"But you assured us! You told us they wouldn't take him!" They could see her outside in the porch running her free hand through her hair. Jace noticed, with a start, that it wasn't in her usual bun. He suit was crumpled. Maryse's suit was never crumpled. Something was definitely wrong.

Alec grabbed Jace's arm. Alec looked over at his brother. His eyes had widened, and there was—if he wasn't mistaken—horror in them. Jace frowned and Alec shook his head and motioned for him to keep listening.

"—th of him. That's it? They think we aren't capable? Answer me; how long has he been my son?" She stopped talking, obviously hearing the person on the other side answer. "Exactly. Has there been any problem since then?" She paused. "No. Exactly. So why now? After almost ten years, why now? It will just be worse. We already—" she took a deep breath. "We already lost one. Do you know what it will be like losing another one?"Her voice was breaking. The strong mother façade she had all the time since the accident was breaking. It was unbearable for Jace.

"Madeleine, hear me out. He may mean nothing to you guys. Just another kid with problems. But he is my kid with problems. I love him. If you take him away . . . I won't be able to hold it. I_ will_ go crazy! I'm trying to be strong but—" She was cut off by the other person. Something the woman said made Maryse's blood boil. Her cheeks flushed and she narrowed her eyes.

"I give a damn what the company thinks that is happening to Robert and me! There is no evidence of us not trying our best for our children!" There was a muffled response from the person, Madeleine, because Maryse went off on her. "Jace is _my_ child too! I have learned to care for him_. To love him_. He is mine just as Isabelle and Alec are mine! He may not have my blood, but he has my heart! You won't take him. I swear to everything almighty. You. Won't. Take. Him!"

She hung up and stomped her foot against the floor and huffed. She threw herself in the bench and rested her elbows on her legs and ran her hands through her hair, tugging it out every once in a while.

Alec and Jace just stood there, paralyzed by what they had heard. They may have not heard the other side of the conversation, but just Maryse's words were enough to put two and two.

Jace knew that it had to happen since they had denied the adoption demand many times. They liked to argue that if they could have kids, why did they want another one? They never understood, so they came up with an agreement: Jace could live with them, but if anything happened, he would be sent back. Apparently that "anything" had been Max's death.

What he couldn't understand was; Why now? He actually liked his life in New York. And he couldn't deny that it had to do with a certain redhead.

He needed to think. Right now, with Alec next to him and Maryse worrying; he couldn't breathe. He needed to walk away.

He started moving, away from Alec and past Maryse. He heard them calling his name, but he was not turning around. He got out his phone and dialed. He couldn't think straight, couldn't comprehend why it was happening now. At the moment, Jace only knew one thing:

Child Support wanted to take him back.

o.8.o

Clary never thought she would suffer just about enough as right now. She promised herself never to get dragged by Isabelle shopping. Never. Again.

"Clary," Isabelle gasped and her eyes widened, "do you see what I see?" Clary raised her eyebrows and followed Izzy's gaze to a shop's window. There were two things that Isabelle could be looking at; either the really cute guy with the dimples that was looking at her flirtatiously or the pair of brown, laced boots that where in display.

"I could be . . . Mind to elaborate on your findings?" Clary asked trying to rid herself of Isabelle's iron grip on her wrist. Isabelle let her go and started walking rather rapidly towards both the boy and boots.

Clary looked up as the boy's eyes widened and he started checking himself to see if he looked presentable. But just his luck, Isabelle went straight for the boots. Clary rolled her eyes and walked to stand next to Isabelle who was already trying on the boots, which were mysteriously her size.

Clary looked up at the boy who had a funny look on his face. He turned to Clary, who just shrugged to him. He reciprocated the movement and walked away, but not before winking at her. Clary frowned and shook her head. _Boys, _she thought.

"Wow . . . they look incredible! Don't you think they would go great with that pair of beige shorts I just bought?" She was looking at the shoes from the mirror, admiring the four inch heel.

Clary titled her head to the side. "Actually, I think they would look good with that flower patterned dress you bought. It would show a sort of hardcore look to the girly dress, don't you think?" Isabelle copied Clary's movement.

"I like that idea . . ." Isabelle grinned and turned to look at Clary. "Since when are you the fashion counselor?"

"I've been converted to the fashion world since you came to school with a different outfit every day." Clary winked. "I can't help checking you out, babe." Isabelle laughed.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one checking the other out." She laughed again and took off the boots. "I'm going get me these. Be right back, _babe_." Isabelle drawled the last word, making fun of Clary's wording. She just rolled her eyes and leaned against a shelf waiting for Isabelle to be back with yet another bag.

Clary jumped as her leg vibrated. She scolded herself for being so skittish while getting her phone out. She immediately started smiling as she read the caller ID. Jace. She flipped the phone open with a lingering smile on her lips.

"Hey."

"Clary. Where are you?" Clary frowned. He sounded different. Off. Agitated.

"At the mall with Isabelle. Jace, are you okay? You sound, I don't know, weird." She tried to not sound like she was prying or anything.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be at the food court in fifteen." He said with more urgency than before.

"Jace, wait, wh—" But she didn't finish because he had hung up. If Clary could raise a single eyebrow she would've done so. She frowned looking at the open phone in her palm.

"Who was that?" Clary jumped at Isabelle's voice. She was beside her, a new bag paired with the others.

"Uh, nobody."Clary closed her phone and put it back in her pocket.

"Really? You looked pretty shaken by the call." Isabelle said, arching her eyebrow. Clary narrowed her eyes internally.

"It was nothing." She said, before Isabelle could interrogate her once more, she proposed. "Are you hungry? Why don't we go get some Chinese?" Jace may have sounded weird, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to meet him.

Isabelle grinned. "Sounds great! Let's go!" She grabbed onto Clary's arm and dragged her quite rapidly towards the escalator that would lead them to the food court.

In less than ten minutes, both Isabelle and Clary were sitting down eating orange chicken and noodles. Isabelle was rambling about something to Clary. She wasn't listening though. She was looking at Isabelle, thinking about what her reaction would be if she knew about her relationship with Jace. Would it be one of excitement while she yelled, "Finally! You guys are such a cute couple!" Or . . . would it be one of terror? Would she scream and run away from their open-mouthed faces?

Clary shook her head. She was over thinking stuff. Besides, why would Isabelle be against them? It was her brother's happiness, no?

" —ut yeah!" Isabelle paused, looking at the table, "They didn't give us fortune cookies?" She raised an eyebrow to Clary. She saw that, indeed, they hadn't given them cookies.

Clary pushed herself off her chair. "I'll go get them." She smiled at Isabelle as she nodded. She made her way towards the line. She knew she didn't have to wait, but it would give her some time. Besides, Jace would be able to see her from here whenever he came.

"Clary? Is that you?" Clary frowned, but turned around nonetheless.

"Hey, Seb. What's up?" Clary tilted her head to see him better. He was smiling down at her, but it was quite uncomfortable for her in a way. She felt as if that smile could see through her. She shivered involuntarily.

"Nothing much, really. Just came for some food and saw your hair from over there at McDonalds. I decided to come say hi to you." He put his hand on top of her head on the wall behind her. Clary felt very conscious of how close they were, and of how he had her trapped.

"Well," her heartbeat was quickening, and not in the way she liked it, "you did so. It was nice seeing you." Clary tried to move away but Sebastian just blocked her way. His dark eyes had something in them, and Clary didn't like one bit of it.

"You see, Clary, you haven't realized how attractive you are. Fortunately for you, I have." He chuckled, his breath hitting Clary's eyelids. "How about you ditch whoever you are with and we go somewhere else, huh? I bet we could have a great time." His hand ghosted down her cheek and to her jaw. His hand was threatening to go even lower. Clary's eyes snapped up and tried to voice her demands, but his hand clamped her mouth shut. "No need to thank me, really."

She moved his hand away and narrowed her eyes. "Leave me alone, Sebastian." Her voice shook and Sebastian smiled wider.

"Playing hard to get, I see. I like it." He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her smacking into his chest. Clary's hands went immediately to his shoulders and tried to push him away.

"I'm not playing around, Sebastian!" She said, her eyes wide with fear. "Stop touching me! Please!"

"Now, now. No need t—" But he didn't finish before another arm went around her waist from behind her and pulled her away from Sebastian.

"I'm going to break every single one of your fingers, Sebastian." His breath hit her exposed ear and made her shiver. Jace pushed her behind him, but kept her hand in his. Clary immediately felt relieved and got as close to him as possible. "Calm down, Clare. Everything will be okay. _Aquí estoy yo_."

Clary nodded into the back of his shirt. Jace was here. He had come and saved her. Jace was here. Jace was he—

o.8.o

Sebastian was laughing. The dumbshit was actually enjoying this! It made Jace's blood boil. "What's this about, Wayland? Rescuing damsels in distress?" He roared again, laughing bubbling in the depths of his eardrums.

"I suggest you shut the fuck up, Verlac. You'll end up worse than I was planning on." Jace felt a squeeze in his right hand; the one Clary was holding onto. He squeezed back and kept looking menacingly at Sebastian.

"And I suggest that you keep all that bullshit in your mouth. You should really stop getting in other people's business." His eyebrow was raised, as if he was amused at this whole thing.

"Clary's business is my business if it concerns a son of a bitch touching her." _Because I'm the only one that can_, he added mentally.

"Jace, let's just leave, yes? Sebastian can go to hell. Let's go." Clary tried pulling him away, but Jace was having none of it.

"And what? Let him do this again when I'm not around? I won't let this asshole touch you again. I don't care if I have to knock a few teeth out." He narrowed his eyes even more at Sebastian.

"Wow, Wayland. You sound like the jealous boyfriend of this bitch." Clary gasped. Sebastian laughed. Jace snapped. That's all he needed.

Apparently, that's all Clary needed too, because she squeezed his hand and let go with a quick, "Beat the sweet sugar in tea out of him, Jace." That caused Jace to smirk as he started walking towards Sebastian slowly.

"Maybe," Jace spoke softly, very close to Sebastian, "I sound like that because I am her boyfriend." Sebastian raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but it was too late.

Jace's fist connected sharply with Sebastian's jaw. The sharp blow sent Sebastian sprawling on the floor. A few gasps were heard from the crowd of lookers. His eyes were wide and his hand was wiping a trail of blood coming from his mouth. Jace smirked. "And don't you dare call Clary a bitch when you are just trying to describe yourself, you choad sucker."

Jace started walking back to where Clary was. Her eyes were wide open, but her mouth was in an easy half smile that slowly developed into a full blown grin. Jace mimicked her grin and looked back to Sebastian.

He was standing up, looking serious for once. Jace turned to face him. "Do you think you are getting away with that?" Sebastian asked. His eyes were ablaze with anger. "No. Way. In. Hell!"

He made to punch Jace in the stomach, but Jace easily blocked it with his right hand and hit him on the ribs with his other hand. Meanwhile, Jace's leg was already in his abdomen, knocking the air out of him. He fell on the floor hard, gasping for air.

Jace kneeled down besides him. He looked up at Jace in fear. Jace smirked. "Don't worry, I'm done with you." He paused. "Just know that if you ever, _ever_ try to hurt—or even talk to Clary—you'll get it even worse." Jace got up and walked back to where Clary was waiting. She was biting her lip while looking at Sebastian on the floor. When he was close enough, she looked up.

"Will he be okay?" She asked. Jace laughed shortly.

"Yeah. I didn't even hit him that hard. Don't worry about it. He deserved it." He said, grabbing her hand and entwining his fingers through hers.

"Like hell he did! Did you hear what he called me?" He laughed.

"And I punched him hard for it." He looked back to see Sebastian being carried away by two guys. He turned his attention back to the short girl. She was grinning and shaking his head at him.

"I know I should be scolding you about how I can take care of myself and stuff, but . . ." she sighed, closing her eyes and opening them so he could see the green sparkling darkly with lust, "that was _hot_!" He threw his head back and laughed.

His hands started wandering to her red hair, curls curling in his fingers. He grabbed her face and kissed her. She responded immediately letting her hands travel up his torso and to the nape of his neck.

"Clary! What is taking so l—" It was Isabelle, Jace knew it. Clary broke away first. Jace turned his head slowly to look at his sister.

"Hey, Iz!" He called out, waving at her. She didn't respond, just stared from Clary to him. She was frowning, like she couldn't really understand what was going on.

"I . . . I thought you were going for fortune cookies, Clary." Jace heard Clary sighing next to him.

"Well, Izzy, I thought so too." Clary said, making Jace smirk. Isabelle just narrowed her eyes at Jace.

"What is going on, Clary?" She asked with a cold expression. Jace hated when she did that.

"I just punched Sebastian. You totally missed it, Iz." Jace responded. Isabelle just looked at him again and raised a finger to him.

"I'm not talking to you, Jace." She turned back to Clary. "Clary?"

"Jace and I were kissing. That's what was going on. Happy?" Isabelle narrowed her eyes at Clary. Jace looked at Clary with shock. He didn't think Clary would be so forward about it. Isabelle groaned and turned to Jace.

"You punched Sebastian? How the hell did I miss that?" Jace laughed. Isabelle never liked missing a good beating. Clary looked from one to the other with wide eyes.

"Oh, well." She said, and grabbed Jace's hand. "How about we get out of here?" Isabelle was already nodding.

"That sounds good." She started going back for the bags that she had left in the table, but not before flicking her dark hair over her shoulder. Jace chuckled as he saw Clary with a frown. She turned to him.

"I will never understand her. I swear." He squeezed her hand.

"Almost ten years with her and I haven't either." That's when his smiled faltered. He remembered why he had come here first of all.

"Jace, what's wrong?" He looked down at her. Her green eyes were preoccupied. He sighed as he saw Isabelle walking towards them. He waited for her to be with them. Isabelle saw their faces and immediately knew something was up.

"What's up with you guys?" She raised an eyebrow. She turned to Jace.

"Child Support called Maryse." Isabelle's shopping bags fell to the floor and her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes were watering.

"No," she whispered. Clary looked confused.

"What in the name of Science is going on?" Jace squeezed her hand.

"They want me back."

* * *

_So sorry for the long wait! I wanted to update on Sunday, my birthday, but I couldn't finish it. I want to update this before next Saturday, but if it's not possible, I swear there will be an update on Saturday! The fight scene is dedicated to ShadowhuntingMundie who asked me for it a while ago . . . :D I hope you guys liked this chapter._

_**IMPORTANT! READ!** There is a poll in my page. The response from it may affect the story or not. This is to see what you guys think and if it needs another, persay, twist? ;D_

_TRANSLATIONS:_

"_Aquí estoy yo." — _I'm here.

_So even though I TOTALLY don't deserve it, it would motivate me to write. ;DD Persuasion is doing it's magic again! :D So, you know . . ._

_Review? ;D_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Away From the Sun- Three Doors Down_

_Green Eyes- Coldplay_

Fluff alert. Beyond belief. I swear. Enjoy! :D

* * *

~Chapter Fourteen~

He turned his head to look behind his shoulder for what might've been the hundredth time that night. He saw the green glowing numbers in his alarm clock and sighed noticing that two minutes had barely passed since the last time he had checked.

2:34

That was the time.

He hadn't slept at all that night. He had known he was not going to be able to so he hadn't even bothered to put on his pajamas. There was no sign that he was tired. He felt alert, ready for anything to come at him. He wasn't even sure if he had blinked at all during the night, but that was beyond his worries.

He began thinking about how much time he had left. Did he have any time left? Maybe he didn't even have that. Tomorrow morning they would take him away. They would bring a tough looking guy and make him say, "Pack your bags, kid. _You've been set to something better_." That was their favorite line. Jace had heard it many times before in all of his past foster homes. It was usually not true.

He ran his hands through his hair. He just couldn't _do_ another foster house. He was seventeen, for God's sakes! It was crazy! A few more months and he would be legally independent.

He stood up from the edge of his bed where he had been sitting all night. His feet started brushing the floor. Right, left, right, left . . . pacing soundlessly from wall to wall. He began thinking unanswerable questions: Where would they send him? Would he stay in New York? Was he going back to Minnesota? He didn't want to . . . What he had done back there was just too—

He turned his head towards the door as he heard a knock. He frowned. Maybe he wasn't being so quiet and they've come to tell him to hit the sack.

He walked towards the door expecting a glaring Isabelle or a yawning Alec, but he was surprised when he saw Robert himself there. He didn't look like he had woken up, more like hadn't been sleeping. His gray eyes were wide, looking at Jace. That's when he became aware of his shirtless chest. His scars were on full show. He looked to the floor murmuring a soft, "Come in."

"I'll just put on a shirt," he said walking towards his dresser, but didn't get far because he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Jace turned around, his eyes portraying confusion. Robert was smiling slightly at him.

"I know you think your scars are a big deal, but Jace, what matters is that you are whole. You are alive. You are way too alive for your own good. In fact," he chuckled, "I don't think there is anyone as cocky as you." Jace smirked.

"I know that." He said, earning a laugh from Robert. "So what's keeping you up, huh?" Robert's expression darkened.

"I think you know the answer to that yourself, son." Robert turned around and went to sit on Jace's previous seat. Jace followed and sat next to him. Jace felt relaxed and, for once that night, tired.

Robert's vibe was happy, joyful; peaceful. If it had a color it would be a yellow-green hue. Robert was a happy man by nature. He couldn't stand to be mad for more than five minutes, and Jace admired that of him.

Jace remembered the time when he had gotten a bad grade in his math test and Maryse had scolded him. Robert had just been on the sidelines. When Jace had been sent up to his room without desert (because back then, that's all kids lived for) Robert had come up with a slice of pie, making Jace promise that he would try harder. Jace hadn't gotten a bad grade on a math test since then.

Robert sighed. "Jace, this is my promise to you: I'd rather die before those fuckers take you." Jace's eyes shot up to meet his stony gaze. Robert rarely cussed. And if he did, he was either very mad or too careless. Jace noticed that Robert wasn't being careless, he was fuming. "You may think I'm doing this for play because you aren't biologically my son, but believe me when I say that you remind me more of me than Alec or Isabelle at your age."

Jace frowned. "But, Robert—"

"Please let me talk. If I don't get it out, I never will." Interrupted Robert. Jace nodded. "When I was your age, I was careless. I lived life like it would end the next day, and maybe with all that hairspray going around, it would've. But that's besides the point.

"I had girls all the time. They used to come and go. They were just flies clinging to my skin, if you get me. I really didn't care for them; they were just pests. Unlike you, I was not the best at school. I preferred to party and drink and smoke." Robert looked up smiling slightly. "Don't do this at home, kids." He murmured, to which Jace grinned.

"Anyways, my life was pretty much messed up, until in junior year Maryse transferred." He smiled slightly, his eyes taking on a faraway look as if reliving. "She was just like Isabelle; headstrong, mean, and gorgeous. She came in with her chin held high. She was not going to let anyone step on her for being the new girl. I was on a spell." Jace smiled. Most kids would be taking this the immature way, but Jace wanted to hear everything.

"We started going out after a while of getting to know each other. She was—still is—so sweet. She would laugh and make jokes. She was so . . . alive, for a lack of wording. She is the one that put me back on track. Made me quit smoking and drinking. She helped me with my grades, and soon I was coming out of high school with honors and that all thanks to Maryse. She is my rock and will keep being my rock for the years to come.

"What I'm getting to is that everybody is messed up in a way or another, but there is good inside of us. If you can't see it in yourself then someone else will." He grasped Jace's shoulder and looked at him with light eyes. "Have faith in yourself, Jace. There are good people out there. Not everyone is heartless and unjust. Someone will see through the shell and see the real you." Jace smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Robert." Jace said sincerely. Robert grinned and squeezed Jace's shoulder lightly.

"So, tell me about this fight, Jace." Jace hesitated, but Robert was grinning, so he saw no harm in it.

"A douchebag was touching my girl." His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Douchebag, eh?" He laughed. "And who is 'your girl'?" Jace grinned.

"You know her, Rob." Robert's eyes widened as he got that thinking look on his face.

"Ah, don't tell me it's that sweet redhead that Isabelle brings once in a while . . . Clary?" Jace grinned.

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't her." Robert chuckled and clapped Jace's shoulder again.

"I'm proud of you, son. She is extraordinary. I'm glad you stood up for her." Jace nodded. "She sort of reminds me of a friend that Maryse and I had back then in school. You see, Jace, we used to come to school here at St. Xavier's."

"I didn't know that." Deadpanned Jace surprised.

"We never told you kids, but yes. There was this redhead with green eyes just like that girl of yours, but she wasn't as short. She was very artistic. She was a very good friend of Maryse. I guess they were even best friends. I believe her name was . . . Jocelyn, I think." Jace frowned.

"You said artistic?" Robert nodded. "You don't happen to remember her last name do you?" Robert frowned.

"I think it was something with F . . . Fern, Fye, Fr—Fray! That was her last name! Jocelyn Fray." Jace felt like retching. His head fell on his palms.

"Unbelievable." He murmured.

"Jace," Rob said, "what's wrong?"

Jace didn't know how to explain so he just told him the facts. "Clary's last name is Fray."

o.8.o

_**Jace, just wondering if you were awake. :) —C. **_

She closed her phone and saw how the clock in it read 4:52. For some unknown reason, she couldn't find sleep. Well, there was a reason: she was shocked by what Jace had told her earlier that day. It pained her in a way she couldn't understand. They had been going out for less than two weeks, but she felt something strong for him. Maybe not exactly love yet, but a lot of affection. She cared for him, and she wanted to punch anyone who messed with him. By the event from earlier, she knew he felt the same way.

_**I'm up, Clare. Everything alright? —J.**_

Clary sighed. It should have been the other way around, no? He was the one with the problem, not her.

_**I'm good, just worried about you. —C.**_

Instead of receiving a text, her phone started vibrating like crazy. She accepted Jace's call.

"Jace," she said as in greeting. She heard chuckling from the other end.

"How'd you know it was me? It could have been a stranger that had stolen my phone. You ever think of that?" She smiled.

"Then I would've hung up immediately. Besides, it's almost five in the morning. Only a drunk guy that accidentally bought a BMW by butt dialing that ridiculous app would do that. This is obviously not the case. Another question?" He chuckled, and Clary could just feel his breath hitting her neck. The thought make her shiver.

"Ahem, yes. Why aren't you in bed, young lady?" Clary snorted.

"I am in bed, smart-aleck. And I could be asking you the same thing." She paused, but only for a moment. "Jace . . . Wh—what's going to happen?" She heard him sigh, all the humor from before gone.

"I don't know, Clare. You just summed up all of my questions in one." He sounded miserable, or at least tired. Had she woken him up? "All I know is, I'm not going away. They can go fuc—"

"Language, Jace." He heard him stifling a laugh.

"—_screw_ themselves," Clary grinned, "but I don't want to talk about that right now. Is that okay?"

"Of course." She smiled to herself. "So what _do_ you want to talk about?" Clary was thinking that Jace would start making some sarcastic remark but was surprised when she heard his velvety voice vibrating with the words of a song.

_Honey you are a rock,  
Upon which I stand.  
And I come here to talk,  
I hope you understand._

Clary was grinning. She couldn't believe how cheesy Jace could be. Seriously cheesy, it looked like. In a way, Clary found that his voice sounded hoarse and rough _a cappella_. On some people, that mixture would have been fatal, but for Jace, Clary could just think about how sexy his voice sounded. It didn't help that he was half-whispering the words as to not wake his family. The words sounded breathy and even sexier than Clary could think was possible. By the time Clary was done zoning out on the feel of his voice, Jace was already on the last verse and chorus.

_That, green eyes,  
You're the one that I wanted to find.  
And anyone who tried to deny you,  
Must be out of their mind._

'_Cause I came here with a load,  
And it feels so much lighter since I met you.  
And honey, you should know,  
That I could never go on without you._

_Green eyes . . . Green eyes_

_Honey, you are a rock,  
Upon which I stand._

There were a few seconds of silence. Clary, to be fully honest with herself, didn't know what she should say. She was happily shocked, if that was even possible. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Well?" He sounded expectant and, for some reason, it made Clary laugh. "What?" He asked, but Clary could detect that he was smiling by the tone of his voice.

"'Well', that was just . . . Wow, Jace!" She grinned again. "You can seriously be mushy at times, you know?"

"I know," he said while she giggled. "That's just one of the things that makes me so amazing!" She laughed.

"Why did you sing that song to me, Jace?" She asked, her curiosity out in the open.

"Aside from the obviousness that your eyes are, indeed, green . . . I don't know. You are the only person other than my family that doesn't judge me entirely, I suppose. That makes you very special."

"There is no reason for me to judge you." She smiled. "You are an arrogantly hot guy who knows it and is going out with a nerd."

"He may be going out with a nerd, but she is the most beautiful nerd in the world." Clary snorted.

"Stop being cheesy! I'm going to hurl!" Jace laughed from the other line.

"Okay, but—in all seriousness—I can't leave you. I don't think I'm scared of leaving the Lightwoods all that much. It's you." He paused and Clary's breath caught at his confession. Didn't they say they were going to stray clear off that subject? Suddenly, all of her preoccupations went out.

"What am I going to do without you? I've been supporting myself from a string all this time, no harness. You came and provided that for me, and if you leave, you will take the harness with you." She sighed close to tears. She heard Jace sigh.

"I've been thinking, and it is all so confusing. How is it that it took me a couple of years to trust my family, but only weeks to trust you? I feel like I can tell you anything. Maybe it has to do with the first time I say y—" He said, but was interrupted by her.

"I ran out on you, Jace. How could it have been then?" She interrupted, tears threatening to spill. He chuckled softly.

"I saw you before that time, Clare. I didn't realize it was you until I met Luke . . . But I don't think I could ever mistake those green eyes of yours." Clary frowned. She couldn't remember another time before the café in which they had seen each other. . .

"I had just moved into New York. I wanted to space out and I went for a walk. That's when I saw people clad in black come out of a building. It reminded me of Max's death too much, but that's when I saw you. You looked so miserable that it broke my heart. I wanted, in a way, to take it all off you. It reminded me of the way we all felt when Max died, but seeing it on you . . . It was just too much, I think. I didn't believe that someone so delicate as you deserved to suffer so much.

"Then you looked up and met my eyes, and I felt paralyzed. Your green eyes were piercing mine, and soon I found myself running away from the funeral house." Clary gasped. The golden eyes from Jonathan's and Jocelyn's funeral . . . They had been Jace's! All this time she had been subconsciously questioning about the owner of those eyes, and now she knew.

"It was you . . . Oh, my Science, Jace." Clary said unevenly and sighed.

"Clary," Jace said quietly, "Why are you Atheist?" Clary was taken aback by the question.

"Uhm, well, my mom and Luke never took John and me to church, and I always found it hard to believe that there was something almighty up there judging us. I'd never really thought about it but I think that people have a religion to be afraid of something, that way they won't do anything bad. 'They think God will punish them if they sin.' 'Your Reincarnation depends on the way you lived your life.' It's all a farce in my point of view. They just want us afraid. If you are scared to live, then why live at all?"

"Oh, I guess I never thought of it that way. But I see your point." They were silent for a few seconds before Jace gasped. Clary frowned.

"What's up, Jace?" Just then, Jace began laughing out of nowhere. Clary's puzzlement grew. "Jace?"

"I knew it!" He whispered, laughing a bit more.

"Jace, what's going on?" She asked sitting up in her bed.

"You should see this, Clary! From my window I can see the neighbors' house." He paused. "You remember Magnus?"

"Yes, from the movies." She responded, still frowning. It still didn't make sense.

"Yeah, well, he is our neighbor. And you wouldn't guess who just went over for a rendezvous visit?" Jace asked and Clary grinned.

"I would bet it was Alec." Said Clary and she heard Jace stop laughing.

_"How'd you know?" Jace asked, and if Clary wasn't mistaken, she heard his voice drip with disappointment. She snorted lightly._

"Magnus and he went to the same movie _alone_." She tried to emphasize the word as much as possible." After the movies he looked mused. I just sort of figured it out." Jace chuckled.

"Of course. Girls have that 'sixth sense', don't they?" Clary gasped appalled.

"That was offending. And guys have that sense that they think they are good flirts."

"No. Some do. But I _know_ I'm an incredible flirt." He chuckled and Clary grinned, knowing that it was true. "Anyways, now that Isabelle knows about us, does that make us official?" He asked.

"We were official a long time ago, babe." She grinned. "If you meant public, then yes." He chuckled.

"So, may I take you, Clarissa, on a _public_ date? I know its Sunday but—"

"I like official better now . . . And yes you _may_." She giggled at his formal talking.

"Great! I'll pick you up at two." He said, seemingly forgetting about his problem.

"I can't wait." She yawned. "Good night, Jace."

"Good night, Clare." They both hung up. After that, it didn't take long before Clary was able to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_:D So, this was supposed to be up yesterday, but I had few . . . Issues . . . :D But now it's here! Yeah, too fluffy, mushy, etc. I know it! But this was just sort of a filler. Hope you guys liked it! FreakingOutGirl deserves a shoutout because she suggested the song—even though I had it in mind already—a few chapters ago. :D Smart girl right there! Also huge thanks to BlondeHairBlueEyes14 and 07XReflectional for helping me a bit on my writer's block on this chapter. :D Oh! And poll's still up! So, go vote! NOW!_

_Thank you notes! :D_

silly13_- I will! Just like I just did! :D Thanks for reading!_

nolesr1_- Hahaha! Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this one!_

NightWolf_- That's the SAME thing I was thinking. xDD Keep reading and reviewing! :D And thank you!_

_That's all. :D So, you know, the date . . . If you want it to be super fantastic you've got to . . . _

_Review? ;D_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Weekend Warriors- A Change Of Pace_

_Sunday Best- Augustana_

_It Ends Tonight- The All-American Rejects_

For the love of God—Enjoy. :D

* * *

~Chapter Fifteen~

"Morning, Clary." Clary heard Luke greeting her as she made her way groggily to the kitchen. She saw him making eggs for himself on the stove. She wrinkled her nose slightly.

"Hey, Luke," she said walking next to him and giving him a peck on the cheek. She started walking towards the cabinets where they kept the cereal.

"Did you sleep good?" He asked out of custom. Clary grinned as she reached for the box of Lucky Charms. Just remembering last night was enough to keep that smile on her face going.

"Oh, of course! How could I not? How about you, eh?" She giggled at how high her voice came out. She heard Luke chuckling behind her as she began pouring the cereal on the ceramic plate she had grabbed.

"I can't complain, really." Clary heard him say as she walked towards the refrigerator getting the milk. "So, any plans for today, Clares?" She stopped dead on her tracks and turned around slowly. Luke was still looking at his pan of eggs in concentration. Finally, he got the salt and sprinkled on the eggs. She had forgotten that she would have to ask Luke for permission.

"Actually . . ." She began, but left the sentence hanging as she put milk on top of the cereal.

"Yes . . .?" Prompted Luke. She sighed as she grabbed her spoon. She hoisted herself on the counter and sat with her feet dangling. She took a spoonful of cereal before responding.

"Do you remember Jace?" Milk dripped from her chin and she saw Luke nod as she grabbed a napkin. "Well, he invited me to go out today." Luke turned around to look at her.

"Well, are you asking for permission to date this boy or just informing me of this?" Clary grinned.

"I guess I'm asking for permission . . .?" She laughed as she took her spoon with cereal back to her mouth. Luke smiled crookedly.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" The question caught Clary off guard. Her eyes widened and she looked down at her feet. A few seconds of silence passed until she looked up and stared at Luke's blue eyes.

"I do." She grinned and Luke reciprocated her movement. He walked up to her and kissed her forehead.

"If he makes you happy, then go for it." Clary's grin widened impossibly and she hugged Luke around his neck tightly. She heard him chuckle slightly before hugging her back. He pulled back shortly. "My eggs!" He hurried over to turn off the fire and dumped the eggs in a plate. Clary looked at the yellow blob in disgust.

"I'll never understand what is so special about eggs." She muttered and Luke looked up from his plate.

"Just like I'll never understand your intense hate for them." He replied, grabbing a fork for himself.

"It's simple. Just like Simon is vegetarian because he doesn't like eating meat, I don't like eating eggs. It's like you hating sushi because it is 'raw meat'. Not that hard of a concept, really." Luke was shaking his head with a smile on his face. Clary finished her cereal and dumped it in the sink. "I'm going to watch some TV, 'kay?" Luke nodded and she skipped over to the living room, plopping into the couch.

o.8.o

Before Clary knew, it was already 1:30. That's when she realized she needed to get ready for her date. She giggled at the thought. _Me, Clary Fray, on a date?_ The thought itself was laughable. But she knew it was true. She would be going out with Jace Wayland.

She quickly undressed and jumped into the shower. The cold water was both a relief and punishment. She quickly turned the knob to warm it up and got to work on untangling her hair.

Meanwhile, she began thinking about how they hadn't said anything about where they were going to go. Ideas of were Jace might take her flooded her mind while she finished scrubbing herself.

Wrapping a towel around her frame, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her pale skin in full contrast with the wet strands of her red hair. It fell close to the small of her back. Her green eyes stared wide back at herself.

That's when she saw what Jace saw. She _was _pretty. She felt herself start grinning, and her reflection confirmed that she was. She squeezed the excess water off her hair and walked out to her room.

She opened her closet and tilted her head to the side in thought. She had no idea what she could wear since she had never gone on a date. She quickly went through her jeans and found a pair of tight gray washed jeans. She threw them on her bed and started looking for a blouse. She looked through all her hangers, but most of them were supporting band t-shirts. At the end of her closet, she found the clothes she had stopped wearing since last summer.

A small smile caressed her face as she went through them. A lot of memories were imprinted on them. She came across a brown blouse. It was loose and it had an intricate design in a soft orange that went from the bottom left side towards the top right side.

Without thinking twice, she pulled it out of its hanger and threw it to her bed next to the jeans.

o.8.o

"Hey, Alec!" Jace knocked on his door. "Are you still asleep or what? It's twelve in the afternoon, Alec!" He knocked a little more forcefully. "Alec! Would you open the goddamn door?" Finally, he door opened and a very annoyed Alec was shown stifling a yawn.

Alec's eyes settled on Jace. "What?" He snapped. Jace smirked. How many times did he have to say that he loved annoying Alec?

Jace leaned on the doorframe of his room with his arms across his chest. "If you stopped checking out the neighbor's cat you would be rested, you know?" Jace smirk grew as he saw Alec's cheeks turning a blazing red as his eyes widened. "I wanted to know if I could borrow your car today."

Alec shook his head quickly and changed his balance to his right foot. "Uh, sure. I won't be using it. Where are you going?" Jace smiled and pushed himself off the doorframe.

"I have a date." Jace grinned. Alec blinked as if that had finally woken him up.

"Really? It took you a while. With who? You finally gave in to Kaelie?" Jace's lip turned up in what was described as disgust.

"No. I'm going out with my girlfriend." With that, Jace walked towards his room at the end of the hallway.

"Wait. _What?_ Since when do you have a girlfriend?" Alec was calling after him. Jace heard Alec asking Isabelle since he figured out Jace wouldn't tell him. Jace could just make out Isabelle yelling out Clary's name then a startled "what?" in a lower voice. Jace chuckled quietly to himself as he closed the door to his room shut.

o.8.o

"Hey, Si. What's up?" She responded into the mouthpiece of her phone as she laid in her bed facing her constellations poster in the ceiling.

"_When were you planning on telling me about you and Goldilocks?_" Clary frowned at Simon's anxiety. She sat up and began walking to one of her bulletin boards in her wall. She grabbed a pencil and started shading an eye from a magazine she had cut out.

"I was planning on tomorrow? At school? Besides, who told y—Wait. Don't answer that. Izzy." She sighed with a smile in her mouth as she titled her head to look at her shading.

"Yes. Isabelle. And that is sad because_ I'm_ supposed to be your best friend. The one that finds out of everything about you before everyone else!" She giggled quietly.

"Simon, by now I consider Isabelle one of my best friends too. Look, if it makes you feel better, Isabelle found out by accident. If not by that, I would have told you first."

"It does . . . But just a little bit! I still don't forgive you." Clary laughed. It was only Simon who would fight over this. She dropped the pencil and grabbed an eraser to fix something.

"So what can I do to make it up to you, huh?" There were a few seconds of silence in which Clary dropped the eraser and grabbed a random color pencil from her bin. "So?" She prompted.

"Game night at your house?" He asked quietly making Clary grin.

"I'm all yours Saturday, Si. Sounds good to you?"

"What's wrong with today?" He wined and Clary grinned.

"Because—Mr. Lonely—unlike you, I have a date right now." She could barely hear a huffing noise from Simon.

"Whatever. I, at least, am nobody's. I'm still free!" Clary shrugged knowing that Simon couldn't see her.

"It's not as bad as you make it sound. And just for your information, you are _totally_ mine." She grinned as she admired her work and dropped the pencil.

Simon laughed. "Sure, Fray. Well, you need to get ready, don't you? I'll leave you."

"Well, thank you." She laughed. "Bye, Si. See you tomorrow." She closed her phone once she heard the line going dead.

She heard gravel crunching from outside. She quickly chugged her phone into the pocket of her jeans. She turned once more to the eye she had been coloring. She was taken aback by the color she had used to fill it in, but then she began grinning. Taking one last look at it, she rushed off her bedroom door.

She had colored it gold. Gold just like Jace's eyes.

o.8.o

He took a breath and knocked on the door forcefully. The door opened just as he was about to put his hand back. Jace looked down to the redhead smiling at him. She was wearing gray jeans, a hanging brown shirt under a black tank top. Her black converse with splattered gold paint and a dark orange bracelet finished her look. Her hair was down, the way he liked it the most.

She stepped out and hugged him fast. He wrapped his arms around her softly. "Thanks for yesterday." She whispered to his ear. He chuckled and set her down. He bent down and kissed her cheek.

"I'm in service twenty-four, seven. But just for you, okay?" She laughed and grabbed his hand pulling him inside her house.

"Luke will be down in a bit. He was fixing something in his room." She called as she sat on the red sofa. He nodded and sat as he admired a painting in front of them. It was abstract, but Jace could make out the form of a raven. The colors were a series of purples, blues, and grays.

"Did you paint that?" He pointed to it and Clary turned to it with a smile.

"I wish! Nah, my mom did." She turned to him with a smirk that made Jace grin. "Let's test your intelligence. What do you think of it?" He lifted an eyebrow and turned back to the painting.

"I see smudges of colors." He turned to see Clary grinning at him. She was about to open her mouth when he added. "Or maybe I see a raven hidden behind all those colors." Her grin faltered and her eyes began closing into slits. Jace laughed throwing his arms behind the sofa.

"So, I guess you are smart." She muttered. Jace grinned and pulled her towards him with the arm that had been behind her head.

"You and I already knew that, Clare." He winked at her as she rolled her eyes but snuggled into him either way. Jace frowned as he remembered something. "Clary, your mom's name is Jocelyn?" Clary sat up but stayed inside Jace's embrace.

"Yeah." She smiled. "How'd you know? I don't think I ever told you." Jace sighed.

"Yesterday, Robert talked to me and you came into the conversation. Then he started talking about one of his and Maryse's high school friend. Her name was Jocelyn Fray." Clary's eyes widened and then she frowned.

"Wow. That's crazy! That means that Luke may know Robert and Maryse as well. My mom and Luke went to the same high school." She frowned at the wall, lost in thought then she started smiling. "I came up into the conversation?" Jace shook his head as a grin decorated his face.

"Yup. For some reason, you always come up." He kissed her forehead as she chuckled. Just then, they both heard footsteps coming from the hallway. Luke emerged from the entryway as Jace stood up. He offered Clary his hand and she took it gladly as she stood up.

Luke saw Jace and his eyes widened. "Oh, Jace! Hello, it's nice to see you again." Luke smiled at Jace as he extended his hand. Jace took it and shook it firmly.

"You too, sir." Luke grinned.

"Luke. Just call me Luke." He looked over at Clary who was shaking her head with a smile. He turned back to Jace. "So, what were you two planning?" Clary looked over at Jace with questioning eyes.

"I sort of wanted it to be a surprise, but just tell me the time you would like Clary back and she'll be here." Luke waved his hand in dismissal.

"Don't worry about it. But if by seven you guys are still out at least text me. Okay, Clary?" Jace's eyes widened and he could see Clary smiling. Not one father of his last girlfriends had been so liberal.

"Sure, Luke." She went up to him and kissed his cheek. Jace shook hands with Luke one last time and they left towards Alec's blue corvette.

o.8.o

The pretty blonde waitress left a big beef hamburger that looked so freaking good in front of Clary. _Yum,_ she thought to herself as she stared at the huge piece of meat and bread in front of her.

Laughter made her look back at Jace. He was clutching his side as he kept laughing. Clary looked over at the waitress and saw her staring at Clary with a confused expression. That's when she realized something.

"I said it out loud, didn't I?" She put her head in her hand. She heard heels clacking and realized the waitress had left.

"Yes, and very, _very_ passionately!" He said and started laughing again. Clary began laughing as well.

"Wow! Just when I thought I couldn't get any more pathetic!" Jace started trying to catch his breath and reached for her hand. He sighed.

"And I have to live with it." And he laughed some more. Clary just gaped at him.

"Did you just agree to something mean I told myself?" But the act fell as she could feel the smile in her face. She began laughing again.

Once they were done laughing, they began eating. Jace dug into his spaghetti immediately. His eating habits were in terrible contrast with his monk room. Were his room was clean and in order, his eating was messy and slobbery. It amazed Clary to no end and instead of thinking it was disgusting, she found it cute.

He sipped up a noodle, but before it entered his mouth completely, it left a tomato sauce mess all over his chin. Clary chuckled and reached over with a napkin to clean it while he chewed.

"You call this eating, Jace?" She shook her head with a smile as she reached for a sip of her orange soda.

"I don't just eat, Clare. I do." He said without bothering to swallow. Clary looked up at him with horrified eyes, but it quickly melted as she saw him with a serious, tomato sauce covered face. She tried laughing but ended up choking on her soda. She covered her mouth with her napkin expecting to spit it out. She felt a hand on her back patting forcefully.

Swallowing the soda, she began laughing. Her ears detected the person behind her laughing as well. She looked behind her and found Jace looking up at the ceiling with a hand on his stomach. Without meaning to, her gaze went to the piece of flesh that was exposed in between his shirt and jeans. She felt heat rising to her cheeks. She felt a hand on her cheek. She looked up at Jace.

"You okay now?" Clary looked over his face slowly, drinking in every detail. He was smiling crookedly and Clary could see that one of his incisors was chipped. She had never noticed it before. Clary wrinkled her nose with a grin on her face. _He couldn't get impossibly hotter, could he?_ she thought to herself. She started shooing him away.

"Yeah. Now go sit down before they kick us out for loudness."

o.8.o

Jace laughed hard as he saw Clary grab onto the support handle on the roof of the car.

"Darn it, Jace! You can't go any faster, can you?" She said, sarcastically. Her eyes were wide looking out to the road and her mouth was slightly open. Jace grinned.

"I can so. Want me t—" He started.

"No!" She replied quickly. She relaxed slightly as he lifted his foot off the accelerator a bit. "Where are you taking us anyways?" He smiled.

"That, midget," he looked at her glaring eyes and then back to the road, "is a surprise." He heard her huff.

"I don't like surprises." She muttered.

"No. You don't like the idea of not knowing. You actually _love_ surprises." He could tell by his peripheral vision that she had turned to look at him.

"Are you trying to brainwash me now?" She sighed, but Jace could detect the smile in her face. "First you almost make me chok—"

"That was your fault. Who tells you to drink while I'm about to say a joke?" He looked over at her.

"—me. Then you want to make us crash with your illegal speeding. And now you try brainwashing me." She shook her head. "I have no other choice but to classify you as an alien." She sighed once more as he shook his head.

"Then I must be one hot alien, huh?" He heard Clary snort next to him.

"I've seen better looking aliens. In my point of view, bald aliens are _sexy_!" She drawled the last word. Jace parked since they had arrived. He turned off the ignition and turned to look at her.

"You wouldn't happen to like those pale ones too . . ." He raised an eyebrow with a smirk. Clary rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please!" She waved her hand in dismissal as he began grinning, but then she smirked at him. "Those are the hottest ones! And if they are bald? _Mmm!_ Jackpot right there!" She laughed when she saw Jace's grin falter.

"Too bad you got me, then." He gestured to his hair. "Long golden locks," his finger followed the line of his body, "and tanned skin."

Clary sank into her seat with her arms crossed. "I know," she sighed. Jace glared at her and soon she started laughing. She sat on her knees on the seat and leaned over Jace. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm just kidding, Jace." He looked into her eyes and saw them darker than usual. "I think you are extremely hot."

Her forehead was against his, and he still hadn't moved at all. He saw her eyes squinting and the next thing he knew, she was kissing his cheek and working his way down to his mouth. "Are you going to be the silent one now?" She was one kiss away from his mouth and it was taking all his willpower to not capture her lips with his. Her lips stopped right before his; millimeters away. They were staring at each other and Jace could just detect the mischievousness in her eyes. She smirked. "Okay, then."

She pushed back and sat back down in her seat and looked out the windshield. Jace just stared at her but she wasn't looking at him. A smile was playing at the tip of her mouth and before he could ask anything she beat him. "Where are we?" Her head was tilted to the side as she took in the landscape. Jace followed her gaze. He smiled and got out of the car. He went over to open the door for her. She got out, but before she could go around him, he pinned her to the side of the car. She gasped in surprise.

"Don't tempt me, Clare." He whispered hoarsely into her ear. She tilted her head to grab his lips, but he moved back. "Come on," he smirked at her, "I want to show you something." She rolled her eyes at him, but followed him.

They began walking. Clary could only see trees and a small path. She had not been paying attention to the road on the way there—she had been too busy looking at Jace—so she didn't know where they were at all. The wind was chilly since it was early February. She hugged her coat closer to her body. Jace took her hand and walked out of the path and into the forest.

"Kidnapping me, Wayland?" She smiled at the warmth in his hand. He looked back at her with a smirk.

"Now, why would I ruin such great relationship with your stepfather? He actually likes me. That is," he frowned, "a little weird."

"Talk about his likes." She laughed. "My mom would have hated you. That's for sure." He laughed.

"Now _that_ is believable." He made a right turn. "Parents don't usually like me. That's why when Luke trusted me with you, it surprised me."

"That's because I'm like Luke. We see the good in all people. He doesn't see you as a boy that will take advantage of his girl. He sees you as the type of guy that is respectful and kind." She pulled his hand to make him stop. He turned to look with contempt in his eyes.

"And what type of guy am I?" He asked her. He was very close to her.

"You are in between." She smiled. "You are the most incredible guy ever, but are so dangerous at the same time." She winked at him and he grinned.

"Is that good," he leaned closer, "or bad?" She started closing her eyes.

"It is most definitely good." She reached for him and he placed his hands on her waist. His lips touched hers for the first time in the evening. Clary could detect a trace of spearmint in his kiss from the gum he had thrown away earlier. She loved the way he tasted and the way he knew exactly how to kiss her. It was just so . . . perfect!

They broke away panting heavily. She trailed her hands up and down his arms and left them on his forearms. She rested her head on his chest as a smile decorated her face. He kissed her head and hugged her to him tightly. She couldn't remember being as happy as in that moment. The woods and the cold wind made everything movie-like. That's when she remembered they were in the middle of the woods.

She looked up. "Jace, what are we doing here?" At that, he smiled.

"Come on." He started walking again. Clary could just see how the trees became even more close together than before. It looked like the forest would never end. She never thought that New York had such a beautiful place. For February, the trees were growing leaves already. There were a few birds on the branches. She had already caught a squirrel running across too.

Finally, the trees cleared up. Clary gasped at what she saw. It was a lake. A dark, turquoise lake. She could see the fishes swimming under. The sun was setting—Clary guessed it was about 5:30. The colors were reflecting and contrasting at the same time with the lake. The variety of colors amazed her. From the darkest gray to the lightest pink. Her hand—the one not holding Jace's—started twitching characteristically. She sat down and Jace followed suit.

"Jace, this is . . ." She struggled for a word that could describe what she was seeing.

"Fantastic?" he supplied helpfully. She breathed out a short laugh and turned to look at him. Jace was looking out into the horizon. The orange did amazing things to his profile. His curls seemed on fire; full of light. His face took a fair shadow over his tanned skin. His eyes reflected everything in a pool of molten gold. Her hand twitched once more. Jace was as—maybe even more—fascinating as the view.

"My mind was going towards incredible, amazing, mind-blowing . . . But fantastic works out perfect." He turned to look at her and smiled before looking back at the lake.

"I found this place a little after moving here. I could come here and get immersed in the colors, or ignore them completely and think. Just think." His eyes were distanced.

"What would you think about?" She asked slowly, her curiosity getting the best of her. When Jace didn't answer, she turned to look at him. He seemed to be struggling about something. Clary decided to let him be. She started committing to memory the lake. Clary thought Jace wasn't going to say anything until he did.

"I guess you could say my father was . . ." Clary turned to face him. The way he was talking, Clary knew Jace was referring to his biological father. Not Robert. His face was screwed up as if he was over-thinking something. "A good man, but something happened . . . Something made a screw go loose inside his head, I guess. I do remember him being a real parent. He and my mom were happy. They were . . .

"One day, he came back home red-faced. I guess he was drunk. My mom had gone for milk because I wanted to eat cereal. H—he got mad. Pacing around the room, he started yelling nonsense after nonsense. He said that my mom was a—a whore and other things. I was about four. I just wanted to watch Pokémon. I asked him if he could be quieter. That's when he laid a hand on me. I never told anyone. I wasn't as stupid to not know what he would do if I did.

"It became a sort of sport for him. Come home and hit his son. My mom didn't know. He always did it behind her back. He always told her I had fallen or something along those lines. When I was about five, my mom caught him. That's when he started cutting me . . . And hitting her." Clary laid a hand over his. She needed him to know that she was there. He nodded briefly with his eyes closed.

"It started out simple. A slap or something, but it still made me see red. By the time I was seven, my mom had to use makeup to cover her bruises. He was smart enough to not cut me someplace where my friends could see.

"I was eight and a half when he finally did it. I stood up for my mom—not for the first time. He always said the same words: '_Trying to look brave, aren't you? But you can't and never will. That's what happens to men like you and me. Like us.'"_ Jace sucked in a breath and pressed his eyes shut. _"_But that time, instead of just shaking my head, I told him to stop. That it hurt her. She didn't like to feel the pain. He went up to her, and just like that, I was left mother-less."

Clary's eyes were watering. She felt anger boiling through her. Jace—strong, hard-headed Jace—had been abused so unfairly his whole childhood. Without her knowing, she muttered something to herself as she shook her head.

"That son of a bitch!" Jace's eyes opened as he heard her. She was so blinded by her anger that she hadn't even heard herself cuss. She crawled over to Jace and hugged him. She let the tears fall onto his shirt as he held onto her tightly.

"Thank you." She heard Jace whisper quietly. He grabbed her face and made her look up at him. His eyes went from one of hers to the other. Clary thought he was looking for something. "Clary, would it be too early to tell you something?" He asked quietly to her.

"It's never too early for anything, Jace." She whispered. He stared at her for a very long time.

"I think I may be falling in love with you, Clare." She gasped and smiled as new tears started forming in her eyes.

"Jace . . ." She traced his face with her hands, trying to memorize every pore, every cell of skin. "I think I could be falling as well."

* * *

_Ooh! Potty mouth, Clary! ;DD  
__There is no valid excuse for making you guys wait so long. I tried to make this a long chapter and . . . I SUCCEEDED! Longest chapter. Oh! And for once, the last song fits perfectly with the scene. Now, was the 'date' up to your expectations? Yes, I know. So mushy! xDD Sorry, guys. That's just the way I've been feeling lately. :D Now, I'll try to get next chapter by Saturday, but if not, it will be up after next Friday. I have a twitter, which is maxwaylandgrey. :D You can go there and bug me around. Ask me questions, give me suggestions, etc. Also, if you guys think I'm taking too long to update, just go there and send me a virtual slap. :D You guys should check out 07XReflectional's crossover! Amazing barely covers it! Also, ShadowhuntingMundie's story is incredible! You should check them out! Just, wow! :D_

_THANK YOU NOTES!:_

silly13— _Here it is! Thanks for reviewing!_

Night Wolf— _Ahh, Jace Wayland and his swooning ways, huh? xD He follows me around at school and . . . I talk to him . . . ;D Not very healthy if you as me. Thanks for reviewing!_

D— _No. Jace found out Clary's real name in, like, chapter five._

jace— _Those two reviews made me smile! Especially the second one! :D I'm glad you enjoy it so much! I hope you keep reading! :D_

_Now, what makes people happy? What makes writers happy? What makes _MOI _(Heh, French ;D) happy? For you to . . ._

_Review? ;D_


	17. Chapter Sixteen

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_New Perspective- Panic! At the Disco_

_Jaded- Aerosmith_

Go read, kiddo. :D

* * *

~Chapter Sixteen~

"Okay, kids. That'd be all for today. You can talk while you wait for the bell." Hollowed Mrs. Myers, the Food Science teacher. The teenagers started chatting animatedly about their past weekend with each other.

"Finally!" Jace turned to her right to see Clary closing her eyes leaning back on her chair.

"Hey," he said and she opened her eyes, "at least we didn't cook today. Who knows what the hell would have happened if we would've." Clary cracked a smile at that and sat up.

"Oh, how right you are." Her eyes widened as she grinned. "I have Pre-Calc next period!" Jace eyed her carefully.

"I don't think I've ever known someone that can be so enthusiastic about going to Math." Clary rolled her eyes as she popped a piece of gum inside her mouth and passed one to Jace.

"You just have to see the positive side of everything." She chewed quietly as he put his piece of gum in his mouth.

"Yeah . . . Only there is no positive side of going to Pre-Calc." Jace insisted. Clary shook her head with a smile.

"I get along with numbers and signs, okay? _And_ I like how there is always an exact answer for every problem." She pointed out just as the bell rang.

"Okay. That may be the only thing that could be likeable about math. _Could."_ They walked towards the hallway that would lead them to their next class. Jace grabbed her hand and looked to see her reaction. Clary started for a moment. She turned her head towards Jace and then began grinning. She brought herself to her tip-toes and kissed Jace in his lips sweetly. When she went back to her normal height, Jace raised his eyebrow. She shrugged.

"Let the world know, Jace." She said as she popped a bubble with her gum. Jace found himself grinning.

They kept walking, and Jace could see everyone watching Clary's and his entwined hands. It made Jace grin more thinking that finally they knew that Clary was his girlfriend. He looked down at Clary, and by seeing her grin, he imagined she felt the same as him.

They came to the intersection that divided the math hallway from the rest. He looked down at her grinning face and—without thinking twice—bent down to kiss her. She smiled against his mouth and returned the close kiss. She pulled apart first.

"Better get to class, Wayland. I don't want to save your butt again." He raised an eyebrow.

"Are we back to no cussing?" He was rewarded with her grin faltering and her eyes narrowed.

"If you tell anyone—and I mean _anyone_—about my sudden collapse of rules, I swear you won't ever see the light of day again." She smiled sweetly. "Did I make myself clear?"

Jace chuckled. "As clear as the water in the Hudson River." Clary's eyes narrowed again.

"Ha-Ha. Very funny." She said. Her eyes rolled as a smile started appearing in her face. She started walking away when Jace grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him.

"I'll see you at lunch." He whispered in her ear. Clary grinned.

"Sure thing, babe." She drawled and gave him a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips before walking away towards her class in a hurry. She looked back one last time and saw Jace staring after her. Jace could see the smile forming in her lips. With one more look at her bouncing retreating form, he began walking to his class with a permanent grin.

o.8.o

"Ugh. Just watching them disgusts me." She said while rolling her eyes at the couple. She looked over at the male figure next to her. His face was set in a grimace as he followed the golden boy with his eyes as he walked away.

"I agree. So, when does this _'plan maestro'_ of yours begin?" Hearing that made her grin.

"Oh, sweetie . . ." She smiled apologetically at him as his eyebrows furrowed. "It began quite a while ago."

o.8.o

"If you come like this every single day, I think I will have to start wearing sunglasses." Said Simon from the table next to Clary's. Isabelle turned around from her table in front of Clary and rolled her eyes at Simon with a smile on her face.

"I don't understand the meaning of that, Simon dear." Clary giggled.

"You are practically radiating sunshine with your pearly whites!" He said. Clary passed her tongue over her teeth in reflex. Isabelle snorted.

"Oh please, Simon! You are just jealous." She smirked, and Clary saw that it wasn't much different from Jace's. She grinned as she realized that she could barely keep Jace off her mind.

Clary gasped. "Simon! What kind of best friend are you? You don't feel happy about your best friend's happiness?" Isabelle giggled at Clary's lousy acting. Clary winked at Isabelle.

Simon lifted his head with wide eyes underneath crooked glasses. "Uh, of course I do! I was just—uh—Yeah!" Isabelle raised an eyebrow. Clary tried to contain her anger in check at the task she still couldn't do.

"'Uh—Yeah!'?" Isabelle laughed at Clary's impression of Simon. It must've been really bad.

"Shut up. You two." Simon said as he plopped his head back in his arms. Clary raised both her eyebrows.

"It's third period, Si. Are you really still sleepy?" Clary asked.

"I don't fully awake until twelve. Is it twelve? No." He said without waiting for a response. Isabelle raised an eyebrow at Clary while she shrugged at her. Simon was being way too cranky.

Clary leaned over to place a hand in his arm. "Simon . . . Is everything okay?"

She barely heard a muffled "no" coming from under his arms.

"Then what's up?" Simon never moped. This was just weird for both Clary and Isabelle.

"Maia." He said quietly. Isabelle frowned.

"Who's Maia?" Isabelle asked with authority. Clary grinned as she remembered the time they had met.

"Remember at Jace's gig? She was the girl Simon was talking to while we were with Sebastian." Clary shuddered unintentionally. Isabelle still didn't seem to know who. "Remember? The girl with the braids and gamer tee?" Nothing. "You didn't like her . . .?"

At that, her eyes sparkled with recognition. "Oh. Her." She said simply.

Simon raised his head giving Isabelle the eyebrow. "You don't like her, Izzy?"

Isabelle blushed. "I never said that." Clary grinned at Isabelle's discomfort. Clary looked back at Simon.

"So what happened with Maia?" Simon frowned.

"We were playing yesterday and before she left she . . ." Isabelle's eyes narrowed.

"Yes?" Isabelle inquired.

"She kissed me. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there while she walked away from my house. I still don't know what to do!" His head went back to plopping on the desk.

Clary, with wide eyes, turned to look at Isabelle. She was red-faced and was glaring intensely.

"Wow, Iz! You okay?" Clary asked her. Isabelle seemed to snap out of it. Clary raised her eyebrows with a smirk on her face.

"What? I mean, yes! I'm good." She said rapidly when Simon looked up to see what was wrong. Her cheeks flushed red. Did Isabelle like Simon . . .?

"So . . . Do you girls have advice for this young Romeo?" Clary scrunched up her nose while smiling as Isabelle snorted.

"Tell her you are not interested. Obviously if you didn't like her kissin—" Isabelle began.

"I never said I didn't like it." Simon interrupted quietly. Isabelle's eyes bulged. She sat back on her seat, facing the front.

"Well, then." Isabelle muttered quietly as she started talking with Tessa, Nate's sister. Simon's eyebrow went up at Isabelle's tantrum. He turned to Clary. Just then, Mr. Smith—their Pre-Calc teacher—came in.

"Sorry I'm late, guys. Just let me get settled . . ." he trailed off. That meant ten more minutes without work to do. Clary turned back to Simon.

"What dog pooped on her soup?" He mouthed to her and Clary couldn't help but laugh at his choice of words. There was real concern in Simon's brown eyes as he looked back at Isabelle's frowning face.

"Just let her be, Si." She said. Simon looked at Isabelle one last time before he settled back in his seat. Clary giggled. Isabelle liked Simon and was jealous of Maia. That was a first for him, and he was oblivious to it. _Typical of Simon,_ she thought. There were two girls interested in him when before not even one would give him the time of day.

Clary's eyes drifted back to Simon. His glasses where in the table as he rubbed his eyes. His eyes were playful and calculating—quite different from Jace's, whose mystery was held to them in every blink. His skin was the same white as always, but not as white as Clary's. He had no residue of his acne years. His hair fell messily over one of his eyes. He flipped it to the side only to have it go back to its place. Clary's eyes widened as she realized that her geeky Simon was, indeed, handsome.

She smiled softly as she turned to see what Isabelle and Tessa were talking about. Tessa had her head tilted to the side with curiosity in her dark gray eyes while Isabelle looked at her with wide dark eyes.

"H—How did you find out?" She asked quietly, almost fearfully. Tessa furrowed her brow.

"I heard something about it in the hallway," she paused as her eyes took in Isabelle's face. "So it is true!" She exclaimed with wide eyes, much like Isabelle.

"What are you talking about, Tessa?" Clary decided to butt in. Tessa turned to look at Clary. Something passed through her eyes but left just as quickly before Clary could even figure out what it was.

"Jace leaving." She replied curtly. Clary felt a pang in her chest as she heard Tessa. She sat back on her seat and closed her eyes while drawing in a sharp breath. She had totally forgotten with everything that had happened yesterday. Jace had been acting normally too. She opened her eyes and locked them on Tessa's.

"Jace is not leaving." Clary's voice was deadly quiet but had force. Tessa flinched visibly and frowned.

"Look, Clary . . . I know what you are going through. Jace and you just got together and now that he is le—" She began but was interrupted by Clary.

"Jace is _not_ leaving." She repeated, louder now causing a few people to turn to them. "He won't leave. Whoever you heard that from has their information wrong. Glad I could help you get your facts straight, Tessa." With that, Clary turned to her backpack, grabbed her notebook and a pencil from it, and blocked out the rest of the class.

o.8.o

"Why did she have to bring it up? I mean, I thought she was better than th—" Rambled Isabelle. Clary smiled.

"Calm down, Iz. She was just curious." Clary interrupted. Isabelle snorted.

"Yeah, and I'm the Wizard of Oz." Isabelle rolled her eyes as she began grinning. "But, Clary! The way you basically told her to shut up was amazing!" It was Clary's turn to snort. To be fully honest with herself, Clary felt a little bad about the way she had talked to Tessa.

"Clary telling someone to shut up?" A smooth voice called from behind them. "Now, _that_ is something you can't miss." The two girls turned around to see the golden boy coming over. Clary rolled her eyes.

"But you did. So suck on it, Jace." Isabelle told her brother. Clary grinned. Jace grabbed Clary's hand and led them to the cafeteria.

"So what did I miss?" He asked.

"Clary telling Tessa very civilized to shut up," Isabelle replied giggling. Jace frowned.

"Who's Tessa?" He asked.

"Nate's sister." Said Clary. Isabelle frowned.

"Now, who is Nate?" She asked and Clary laughed.

"A new senior that Jace doesn't like very much," Clary smirked. "It's all because Nate could become the school's new golden boy since he is blonde as well." Jace looked down at Clary.

"Uh-huh. That guy has nothing on me. I mean, you are talking about Jace Wayland! Extraordinaire golden god! Besides, he doesn't have the eyes to complete the look." He ran his hand through his locks for dramatic effect. Clary laughed.

"'Extraordinaire golden god.'" Isabelle shook her head. "I never thought you could get any more pathetic." Jace looked at his sister and winked.

"Jealousy is not the way to handle things, dear sister." Jace said with a smirk as they walked inside the cafeteria.

The first thing Clary noticed, unsurprisingly, was Magnus. He was wearing lime green jeans with a see-through black sequined shirt on top of neon orange tank top. A motorcycle jacket was draped behind his chair. His hair was sparkling with the fluorescent lights of the cafeteria—and glitter, most likely. Next to him was Camille with her flowing blonde hair held back by a dark green headband dressed in a cute ivory summer dress over stunning dark green tights—considering it was still February. Seated on the other side of Magnus was Alec, sticking out like a sore thumb with dark jeans and dark blue sweater.

"I guess we are sitting with Magnus and Co. today," said Isabelle quickly as she spotted them. "I'll go tell Simon where we are sitting." And just like that, Isabelle Lightwood was gone. Clary giggled as they walked to the line to get their food. Jace raised an eyebrow at her. She grinned.

"Your sister seems to have found a liking to Simon." Clary informed Jace. She was rewarded with his eyes widening. He shook his head.

"What do you girls see in him? He's just a geek with messy hair and glasses." He said and Clary slapped his arm. They started getting their trays.

"Don't talk that way about my best friend. And, just for the record, you have messy hair as well," she pointed out. He grinned as he paid the lunch lady.

"Yes. But no one can pull hair like this anymore." Clary rolled her eyes as they walked back to the table with their stylish friends. Magnus seemed to be arguing about something.

"—hter colors don't hurt anyone." He said sitting back in his chair.

"So you suggest I wear pinks, purples, and light blues to school from now on?" Simon asked looking slightly horrified. Just slightly. Jace snickered as he pulled out a chair for Clary. She blushed and sat down, Jace following suit.

Camille narrowed her eyes. "No. For you pinks and light blues wouldn't work. I say dark reds, muted oranges. Some black. And dark blues and greens. Then a nice leather jacket over that and you'd be pretty hot." Clary barely registered the way Isabelle's eyebrow rose. "Wearing brown and sweaters does nothing but make you blend in with your hair and eyes." Magnus tilted his head.

"I agree with Camille. You're hair is already on its way to being sexy." Simon's eyes widened. "Oh, no, no!" He laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I prefer black hair." Magnus's green eyes flitted fast to Alec as his cheeks burned red. Clary giggled and that seemed to capture the attention of Camille.

"Oh, Clary! Jace! I didn't even notice you!" She smiled bright, her dark green eyes twinkling in contrast to her pale face. "I'm so glad you two are finally together!" Magnus grinned.

"I know. All that sexual tension between you two was intense." He said. Clary blushed as Jace smirked.

"Really! I could have cut it with my machete. It was _that_ thick." Camille exclaimed. Isabelle giggled and Alec rolled his eyes with a smile grazing his lips as Simon snorted. Jace and Clary grinned as they waited for someone to yell, _"That's what she said"._

"Ah, sweetie," drawled Magnus to his friend with a smile, "You definitely set yourself up for that one." Camille's eyes widened as she realized what she had said.

"Oh," was all she said without enthusiasm. They resumed their normal banter as they ate. Magnus and Alec sending themselves glances every once in a while. Camille talking excitedly but composed about different subjects.

Out of the corner of her eye, Clary saw Tessa's messy pony tail going to the bathroom. Maybe she could apologize for her earlier behavior. She stood up and told Jace she was going to the restroom. He nodded and she walked quickly, feeling Jace's eyes on her.

She spotted Tessa easily once she was inside. She was washing her hands. Her eyes met Clary's from the mirror. The gray eyes widened slightly.

"Hey, Clary," she said quietly. Clary drew in a sharp breath.

"Tessa," she began, "I wanted to apologize for the way I talked to you earlier. I guess . . . I don't know, I guess you caught me off guard." Tessa smiled slightly. It was quite intimidated how the younger girl was taller than her. Maybe three or four inches taller—

"Don't worry about it, Clary," she said, interrupting Clary's mental banter. "It's okay. I've been though it. I know how it feels." If Clary could've raised an eyebrow, she would've done so right there. She stuck to widening her eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. Tessa sighted and turned around to look directly at Clary. She had a sad smile in her face leaning against the sink.

"Two years ago, I had a boyfriend as well. I knew—well, thought—he was the one. He was perfect, we were perfect." She was looking at the floor examining a very interesting stain. "He had to leave. For one reason or the other. I think we had about a week or two before he left. He broke up with me saying that it was better that way. That, it would be easier for when he left. He said he would never, ever forget me. That I was his one and only true love. I believed him.

"A day or two later, I saw him kissing this girl. Low thing, really. I was sad, but I was also angry." She looked up at Clary, not with tears, but with anger in her eyes. "I'm telling you this because I don't want you to go through the same thing as me. Sure, I barely know you, but you are one of the nicest people I've ever met. It would suck to see you hurt." Clary stared at her for a few seconds before breaking the silence.

"You think Jace will do that to me." It wasn't a question.

"Look, Clary. I'm a pessimist. I expect the worst from everyone. I don't trust men. Not even my father. I trust Nate. He is the only honest person I think I've ever met." Clary smiled slightly.

"In this world, we have to expect anything from anyone." Clary looked down for a bit and then looked back at Tessa. "But Jace would never do that. I'm not being naïve; I just know this one thing." She turned around to leave the bathroom, but not before turning one more time to Tessa. "Thank you."

As she walked out, Clary thought of what Tessa told her. Sure, Jace had a history of being a ladies' man, but he had changed. The events from yesterday were enough proof . . . But something was bothering her. What if Tessa was right . . .?

She tried to dismiss the thought as she sat back in the table and began eating.

Meanwhile, someone was grinning—with triumph in their gray eyes, inside of the girl's bathroom.

* * *

_School is officially out, so I shouldn't have an excuse if I update late. I'll be in a summer musical so that could limit my time a bit.  
As you can see, I got you Simon/Isabelle and Malec in there. Not too much . . . But I got some Camille too! :D I love her since CoFA._

Oh, poll's closed. There will be **no** Jem or Will in this story . . . **BUT** I have another plot in line for when this is done, and I'll make sure to fit them in that new creation. :DD

_TRANSLATIONS:_

___"plan maestro"_ — Master plan.

_Now, you've got questions, ideas, demands, **complaints** . . . _

_Review? ;D_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Pieces- Red_

_The Reeling- Passion Pit_

[I strongly sugest that you listen to the first song with the second scene. It adds dramatic tension . . .] :D Enjoy!

* * *

~Chapter Seventeen~

**FRIDAY**

"Ah, I feel like such a girl!" Moaned Clary as she rolled over in her bed leaving the teenage magazine that she had been looking at unattended. Isabelle laughed from the chair in front of Clary's vanity.

"I guess that would be the point." She applied silver nail polish to her toe nail. She looked up to Clary with a speculative gaze. "You do have ovaries, right?"

Clary's eyes widened as she started laughing. "Of—course! Oh, wow—Isabelle!" Isabelle began laughing as well after she realized what she had said.

"Hey, you never know!" She said as she resumed painting her nails. Clary sighted, patting her aching stomach lightly.

"Indeed." She snorted. "I'll be getting some abs soon if I keep laughing like this!" Isabelle giggled.

"Mhhm. You need some." Isabelle retorted without looking at Clary as she gaped at her.

"I'm just going to assume I didn't hear you." She commented as she laid on her stomach once more, flipping through the pages.

"You know I love you!" Isabelle said and then laughed. Clary turned to her.

"Uhu, whatever. Just don't let Simon hear that." Clary smirked as she saw a faint blush on her cheeks. Clary squealed, which was totally out of character for her. "I knew it!" Isabelle's eyes widened.

"What? What are you talking about?" She went back to painting her nails but Clary wasn't about done.

"You like Simon!" Isabelle's head snapped back up. "Why didn't you tell me?" Isabelle was trying to look anywhere but at Clary's grinning face.

"I don't like Simon. What makes you think that?" Her voice was small and void of all the strength it usually possesses. Clary stood up from her bed and started pacing in front of Isabelle.

"I should have seen the signs! One:" Clary pulled out one finger from her fist, "you got mad when Simon talked about Maia. Two:" she proceeded to pull out another finger, "you looked ready to murder Camille when she said Simon had potential to be sexy. And three:" she pulled out another finger, "you blush every time we talk about Simon in a romantic way." Clary turned to Isabelle with a grin as she stared back at her blankly.

"I'm so easy to read?" Isabelle threw her arms up in frustration right after putting down the brush of the nail polish. "I can't believe myself. Simon might think I'm so—"

"Ah," interrupted Clary before Isabelle could continue scolding herself, "but that's were you're wrong. Simon doesn't notice anything. He is oblivious of what you feel for him." Isabelle didn't look convinced. Clary sighed. "Look, if Simon's life depended on reading body language, he would have been out cold a long time ago." Isabelle snorted but Clary could see the smile in her mouth.

"That's Simon for you," muttered Isabelle. Clary cracked a grin at her friend as she moved towards her bed to sit.

They went back to their own things in a comfortable silence. Isabelle finishing her nails and Clary pretending to look over some articles. In reality, her mind wandered back to what had become her usual thought all week: Tessa's warning.

_I'm telling you this because I don't want you to go through the same thing as me._

Sure, it was a slight warning, but it still held back so much poison. Clary remembered the dark glint of her gray eyes as she told her about her story.

_It would suck to see you hurt._

She had looked immensely sincere. Clary wanted to be like Tessa one day. That she could trust and care for people without a reason. Tessa just needed a first impression.

But her words stung, and not because Clary doubted Jace, but because—if she looked back—she really didn't know much about Jace. Well, at least not about his past. Sure, she knew about the abuse of his father and of Max's death, but she didn't know if Jace had actually been a player like his looks proclaimed.

"Isabelle . . ." Clary saw Isabelle lifting her head with her eyebrows raised. "I know I shouldn't be asking you this but . . ." Clary hesitated slightly, "how were you guys before you moved?" Isabelle scrunched her face slightly.

"Are you sure you aren't supposed to be asking Jace this?" Clary sighted. She knew it wouldn't be easy.

"Yes, I know I should, but think about it: Would Jace budge as easy as you would?" Clary went straight for the truth.

"No, he wouldn—" Isabelle glared at Clary. "You think I will tell you after _that_?" Clary snorted a laugh.

"Oh, come on, Izzy! Please!" Clary was begging, and she only did that with Simon. Isabelle sighted.

"Why is this barely bothering you?" Isabelle asked wearily.

Clary thought about it. She could go with the obvious lie of being curious or tell Isabelle about her talk with Tessa. She decided on the latter. Isabelle should know.

"Tessa told me some things—" Clary saw Isabelle rolling her eyes, "Hey! At least I'm telling you the truth! Just . . . Look, she just told me to be careful. That I could just end up hurt and it got me thinking on how I don't know about how Jace was before he came to New York."

Isabelle looked skeptical. "Well," she sighted, "Jace was abus—"

"I know about that." Clary interrupted. "Y—you don't need to tell me of that."

Isabelle looked relieved. "Oh, good. I hate talking about it. Well, if you didn't know we are from Minnesota." Isabelle paused momentarily, "Now, you can't take any of this against us. I mean, we were stupid before. I'm pretty sure all of us regret everything we did over there.

"I was sort of the school's bitch," She raised her hands in defeat at Clary for the use of the bad word and then continued. "I was mean, compulsive, and aggressive—" Clary snorted. "Well, I was a hundred times worse, okay? This is nothing!

"Anyways, I suppose Alec was the only one that sort of stayed the same. He's always been quiet, but before he was a bit more tense. Max . . . Well, Max was just that: Max. He was a sweet kid. Sometimes, Simon reminds me of him. With the glasses and the superhero obsession." She giggled right before her expression became somber. Clary's eyes widened at her sudden change of mood. "But Jace . . .

"You have to understand that I was never happy with Jace's actions back then but I never did anything to stop him. None of us did. We thought it was just a stage. One year, maybe two. And he did stop, but not after Max's death."

Isabelle paused, drawing in a sharp breath. Clary's eyebrows were furrowed. Was Jace really that of a—for lack of better wording—womanizer?

"Have you ever seen Jace in a Speedo?" At that, Clary's eyes bulged as she gaped at Isabelle, but Isabelle's expression was dead serious. Too serious, in fact.

"Uh, no . . .?" Responded Clary carefully. Isabelle let out a breath.

"Thought so. You see, I wouldn't have to explain if you had . . ." Isabelle shook her head. "Anyways, back on track! Jace was what you would call a—well, a thug." Clary stared at Isabelle expressionless. She was waiting for anything. A pickup line, joke, laughter? But Isabelle was staring at Clary with not a hint of humor.

"No kidding?" Clary asked Isabelle as she shook her head.

"He has a tattoo in his upper left thigh. At least he got it there and not like his assholes of _friends_ that have it across their chest." Isabelle rolled her eyes. "That was what told me that Jace wasn't like that. Not really. I really think I've said too much.

"You should ask Jace about the rest. I," she hesitated, "It's his past. He should know how to tell you." She frowned. "Jace told you about his abusive dad?" Clary nodded. Isabelle seemed dumbstruck but suddenly began smiling. "Don't worry about Tessa. I bet she's too paranoid for her own good."

"I suppose," answered Clary. "Thanks anyways, Isabelle."

"Anytime." Isabelle grinned. "Oh! And you better not tell Simon about this! None of it! It defies the girl code!" Clary would've raised an eyebrow at that.

"Girl code? Defying?" She asked. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Wow, Clary. You really needed girl friends. You spent too much time with Simon." After that they went back to their own things.

Isabelle smiled suddenly as if remembering something. "You know, Clary, you must really mean a lot to Jace."

o.8.o

Maryse looked ready to pass out from nervous tension. She kept running her hands through her hair and there were bags under her eyes. Every time Jace saw her, he couldn't help but feel bad. It was, in fact, his fault that all that was happening was, well, happening.

Jace walked over to Maryse and put a hand on her back. "Hey," he began rubbing circles lightly on her back. Jace could feel all the tension that was there. "Everything is going to work out. I know it."

Maryse sighed. She turned around in the stool to look up at Jace. She gave Jace a tired smile. "I wish I was as confident as you, Jace."

"You are. Remember, you are the strongest out of all of us, Maryse." Maryse ducked her head and let out a small laugh.

Maryse stood up. Even with her tall frame, Jace towered over her and had to look down at her. When she raised her head, Jace could see unshed tears forming in her blue eyes. They swept all over Jace's face as in taking every detail. A smile started grazing her face as the first tear rolled down her cheek. Jace caught it quick. The prospect of watching his motherly figure breaking in front of him was painful even for him.

"Look at you," she whispered almost to herself, "All grown up. You are an exceptional young man, Jace. I'm proud to call you my son." Maryse made as if to hug him, and Jace let her.

She hugged him tightly to her almost like if she didn't, he would disappear. Jace could feel his shirt getting soaked from Maryse's tears. She wasn't shaking with heart-wrecking sobs. She was just letting the tears roll down.

"I love you, Jace. I never regretted anything. Remember that." She whispered close to his ear.

"I will," he responded softly. He cleared his throat and repeated with more force, "I will, mom."

Maryse pulled away and looked at Jace with wide eyes. She was smiling big at Jace and that's when he realized he had called her "mom" which he had never. It had always been Maryse to him. He had not been able, as much as he wanted, to call Maryse his mom. Now, he had without even noticing it. Jace found himself smiling at his accomplishment.

"I will, mom." He said with a finality that made him happy.

o.8.o

**SATURDAY**

"So, are you planning on telling me your plans?"

Simon stopped stuffing himself with a pop tart and looked up to Clary's glare. He raised an eyebrow in confusing. Clary groaned.

"No! Not the eyebrow! Just answer the question!" Simon chuckled at Clary's anger. He knew about Clary being unable to lift an eyebrow. He swallowed before speaking.

"Plans about what? How I plan on beating you on Dead Space today?" Simon smiled before taking another bite from his pop tart.

"No, stupid! I'm talking about your once nonexistent love life." She said. Simon chocked before swallowing with wide eyes.

"What?" He almost shouted.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Maia and then Isabelle? Sheesh!" Clary fake scolded as she grinned internally. Simon blinked.

"Isabelle . . .?" His eyebrows furrowed. _Darn it_, Clary thought. She was hoping that Simon wasn't as oblivious as she had recently thought. She sighed.

"Simon, if it wasn't too obvious, Isabelle likes you. And, well, I know you care for her. I really don't know what the deal with you and Maia is." Clary hoisted herself on the counter of the kitchen and grabbed a pop tart for herself.

"Isabelle likes me? Now, why would someone like her—gorgeous and incredibly beautiful—want to go out with me? It makes no sense, Clary! You're being delusional." Simon looked pissed with his head hanging down. Clary smiled and set down his pop tart. She jumped off the counter and walked to where Simon was standing.

"Now, Simon," he looked up at her, "why would someone _not _like you?" Simon rolled his eyes.

"The list is too long, Clarissa." Now it was Clary's turn to roll her eyes.

"Isabelle didn't seem to have one when she told me she liked you." Simon frowned at that.

"Wait," he raised a hand, "Isabelle told you? Like, it wasn't you having thoughts? It really was Isabelle?" Clary rolled her eyes again and went back to her pop tart.

"Yes. It was Isabelle. Now, you can't tell her that I told you. It would defy some kind of girl code." Clary shook her head. "Whatever that means." Simon chuckled.

"You already defied the 'girl code', Clary." Simon said putting air quotes around the words. Clary glared.

"It's not defying if she doesn't know." Simon smiled.

"Sometimes you are as scary as Isabelle, but then your nose reminds me of a cute baby tiger." Clary was about to start snarling.

"You are really pushing it, Simon." He laughed and walked towards his best friend. He draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Just kidding, Fray. You are super scary!" Clary rolled her eyes.

"So . . . About Maia—"

"I don't know, Clary." Simon interrupted and sighed. "I just don't know what the hell is going on."

Clary looked up at Simon. "Do you like her, Si?"

He bit his lip. "Maybe. But, I don't know, I feel, with her, like I feel towards you." He paused. "I am protective towards you, but I don't want to kiss you or anything, you know? Not that yo—" He began explaining.

Clary laughed. "I get it, Si." She hugged him. "Just choose fairly, okay? And no player business! You are not hurting either of them." He sighed.

"I wouldn't even wish it."

* * *

_And I know it's short, and I'm sorry for this filler. It was more of a Simon/Isabelle chapter. Again, I apologize for delay because I've been supre busy. And, writer's block is a bitch.  
I received a review about how this story sounded like Turbulence by ddpjclaf. I admire her immensely and I would never dream of copying her ideas. If it sounds like it, then it's just coincidence. I haven't read Turbulence since she finished it, and I barely even remember it. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience. I promise that this story's plot is actually very different from Turb._

NOW there were two people that were up my butt for not updating and those were

BlondeHairBlueEyes14_ and _camibandlover _and this chapter is for them. They threatened to sue me, shoot me, slap me, and to take Jace away from. And, well, it worked. This chapter wouldn't be here if it wasn;t for those two girls. xD I love you two.  
I also want to dedicate this chapter to my best friend _07XReflectional_ because that song reminded me of her too badly and I miss her. D; I miss you, babe!  
Hm, I actually cried a little bit writing the second scene. The idea of hard-headed Maryse breaking down is just unimaginable, and I felt happy for Jace. :) The song just fit perfectly._

_GUYS! We reached 300 reviews! Thank you so much! This is just amazing! You guys deserve more than Will eating chocolates in silk black boxers drenched in holy water. (You see that, Mandy? ;D)_

_Now, if you have any questions or suggestions, don't think twice about telling me. :) I'll gadly think about what you have to say and see if I can fit it in. Now, if you would just,_

_Review . . .? ;)  
_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs: _

_Friday I'm in Love- The Cure_

_Hysteria- Muse_

Read on! :D

* * *

~Chapter Eighteen~

**FOLLOWING WEEK: THURSDAY**

It was February thirteenth. One day before the day she had once denied of its existence. The day involving roses, cards, bears or other stuffed animals, balloons, and cavities. Pinks, reds, and whites. She had never celebrated it with a boy—well, not including Simon. Now, she had a boyfriend, and to be completely honest with herself, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. That was until he called her while she was about to hit the sack.

"Hey, Clare," he said and Clary could just picture the smirk in his face.

"Hello to you, sir. I was about to go to sleep," she said right before she yawned.

He chuckled. "Okay, I'll make this quick. Be sure to take your swimsuit and a towel tomorrow. You're all mine after school." Clary sat on her bed frowning.

"Swimsuit? Jace, it's February meaning it's still freezing outside to even consider swimming." Clary heard him laugh from the other line.

"Clarissa Fray, don't you trust me?" Clary rolled her eyes.

"Well, yes, I do. But if we are going to do something that will most surely kill m—"

"Clary! Calm down!" He laughed. "Just bring it tomorrow. You'll find out the rest after school." She sighed.

"Fine. But dying tomorrow will sound so ridiculously poetic. I can almost see it: 'Killed by love on lovers' day'."

"Are you being melodramatic due to lack of sleep?" He chuckled. She let out a short laugh.

"Most likely." Clary yawned. "But I've also been freaking out all day about tomorrow."

"And why is that?" Clary mentally slapped herself. Being tired made her delirious. She was not supposed to say that. She sighed. _Oh, well_, she thought.

"This is the first time I have a boyfriend during Valentine's Day," she paused, "Scratch that. This is the first time I have a boyfriend. Period."

"I'm your first boyfriend? Well, I haven't heard that one since I was in seventh grade." He chuckled. Clary giggled.

"Be quiet!" She scolded playfully.

"So how am I doing so far, huh? Am I to be considered the best first boyfriend ever?"

"I would need to consult that with my shelf of fictional characters," responded Clary looking over at her bookshelf.

"Key word in your statement: Fictional." Jace laughed from the other line. Clary snorted.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She yawned.

"Go to sleep, Clare. I'll see you tomorrow." He said.

"Goodnight, Jace."

o.8.o

**FRIDAY**

Jace had a huge grin plastered to his face on the whole ride. So far, the day had gone great.

He looked over at the passenger seat where his redhead was smiling just as wide as him. On a tight grip in her arms was a Domo that Jace had given her earlier in first period. Jace couldn't remember one time that Clary let go of the poor thing during the whole day.

"I always knew it. You bribe girls with kisses and adorable stuffed animals and then kill them!" Exclaimed Clary from her seat. Jace laughed.

"And what makes you think something like that?" He looked over at her. She still had a smile on her face.

"We are going somewhere unknown once again." She pointed to their surroundings. Jace rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"If it makes you feel better, I have my knife and shovel in the trunk."

Clary's eyes widened as she pointed accusingly at Jace. "Ha! See? Serial killer! Aren't I beast at first impressions?" Jace chuckled while Clary grinned. "How is it that you know all these places with less than a year of living here?"

Jace didn't respond to her for a few seconds. He was debating whether to tell her or not.

Clary noticed his lack of remarks. "Jace?"

"Treasure hunting," he said. He looked at Clary from the corner of his eye while he drove. Her eyes were narrowed questioningly.

"As in actually hiding stuff and finding them?" She asked.

"Yeah. When we were little, Alec and I loved hiding things from Iz and then making her find them. Soon it was Iz and me against Alec. Then Alec and Iz against me. It became a game. We started simple; in our house, backyard.

"When we were about fourteen, we made it harder. We started hiding things anywhere we could. Amusement parks, school, friends' houses. Anywhere. We discovered new places almost every week.

"We haven't done it in years. Well, they don't. Alec and Iz don't know that—Well, Max and I used to play all the time. It's almost second nature for me to go explore every once in a while."

Jace turned from the road to see Clary's reaction. She was smiling at him. "You almost sound like the model brother when you talk about Max." Jace smiled looking back at the road while entwining his fingers through hers. "I wish I could've met him, Jace. He sounds adorable."

"He would have loved you, Clare."

o.8.o

"Jace—just letting you know . . . Again—I kind of promised Luke I'd make it home alive." Clary stared at the water in front of her.

_Splash!_

She held tighter to her brown Domo. Jace emerged dripping wet. He shook his head, drops of water falling from his hair. His eyes were blazing, a smirk accompanying them.

"I know. Now, leave Domo tending to our towels and jump in!" He motioned to the bleachers. Clary looked over at the edge looking for numbers.

"Why doesn't it say how deep the pool is?" She asked him. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Because this is a private pool. It usually doesn't say. It's five feet here."

Clary's eyes widened. "And you expect me to get in after you told me that?"

Jace raised an eyebrow. "Yeah."

"Jace! It's almost my height!" Clary said exasperatedly as Jace laughed.

"Clary, you won't drown. I'm here," he paused. "You do know how to swim, don't you?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Of course I do." She rolled her eyes. "Just, how is this not illegal? I mean—"

"You saw me paying the guy, Clary. Now, stop making excuses and get in. The water is warm!"

Clary huffed. Jace was right—she had run out of excuses. She settled Domo down next to her towel. Walking towards the edge of the pool she sat down and dipped her feet in the water.

"You're right. The water is warm." She smiled and looked up at Jace who was shaking his head.

"Are you going to come in with that on?" He asked pointing at her shirt. She looked down at it and smirked.

"So that's it! You're trying to see me half naked." She tsk'd at him. "Teenage hormones," she muttered to herself loudly so Jace could hear her too.

Suddenly, she felt hands on her waist. When she looked up, she saw Jace only centimeters away from her face. He had a devilish grin and his eyes were sparkling. Clary felt her eyes widening.

"No, Jace!" But Jace had already pulled her against him and plunged them both to the water. Clary wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso. Jace's chest was vibrating in what Clary could imagine was laughter. Soon, they emerged. Clary started gasping for air.

"It wasn't so bad, huh?" Clary felt Jace's breath tickling her neck. She whipped her head at him and glared.

"Oh, it was just spiffy!" she replied sarcastically. Jace began grinning. "What now?" She asked exasperatedly.

"Spiffy?" He asked carefully. Clary rolled her eyes.

"So I was bored and I took out a thesaurus," she waved her hand in the air. Looking back at Jace she realized their position and a blush started tinting her cheeks, but she didn't let go because of her fear of drowning. Jace smirked touching her cheek with his knuckles.

"What's got you embarrassed now, sweetheart?" He asked mockingly. Clary glared at him again and opened her mouth to yell something at him when she felt his lips on hers.

She responded immediately by slipping her fingers through Jace's hair. He began groaning in response to Clary pulling his hair. Clary felt movement. She opened her eyes to find Jace moving them towards the center of the pool. Her eyes widened.

"Jace," she said in between kisses.

"Hmm?" He asked her as he kissed her again.

"What—" he kept kissing her and Clary was losing her thought. She pulled on his hair with one hand and covered his mouth with the other. She could see Jace raising an eyebrow at her in question. "I couldn't think straight," she told him. His eyes looked full of satisfaction and Clary wanted to slap the look away. "What are you doing?"

Clary could feel Jace moving one hand away from her back. He took her hand over his mouth in his hand and closed his fingers around hers. "Teaching you to float."

By the time Clary realized what he was going to do, she was already flailing her arms like crazy while choking on water. She felt Jace grabbing her again and let him take her back to the get air.

"The point of floating, Clary," he began, "is to stay above the surface." Clary would've glared at him, but she was too busy trying to get the water off her lungs. "Now, you want to try agai—"

"No!" Clary interrupted before Jace could finish his offering. "You are going to be a good boyfriend and try not to let me die today." She looked up at him just in time to catch him rolling his eyes. "And you know what your girlfriend wants?" He raised an eyebrow in question as she leaned over with her lips hovering over his ear. "Food."

Jace hugged her to himself and started walking back to the edge of the pool. "Aren't you lucky that I had the forethought to bring lunch?"

"Sure," she responded absentmindedly. Following her stomach's demands, she asked, "What'd you bring?"

o.8.o

Clary found herself going to the mall alone. She was on a mission. With Luke's consent, she almost skipped all the way there. She had been trying to get him to let her get a job since October. Her goal was to get a job at the ice cream shop inside the mall. If that didn't work, she would try the Blockbuster next to the mall.

She was also doing it to clear her mind. Yesterday had been quite a hectic day for her and Jace. After fooling around a bit more at the pool Clary told him about her plans of getting a job. Clary didn't know why she felt so adamant to tell him. She didn't need his agreement. Needless to say, Jace wasn't happy.

_Clary joked around about how he was jealous that I could find someone better looking—to which Jace denied in his own way of over flooding his ego._

_They were going to his house since Clary needed to get something from Isabelle. When they arrived there, though, they saw an unknown car parked on the curve of the house. Jace had shrugged it off, thinking that maybe it was one of Maryse's or Robert's coworkers. _

_Once they entered the house, Clary and Jace were both assaulted by a full-blown argument between Maryse and the unknown owner of the car. She had dark, wavy, brown hair and brown eyes. She was a few inches shorter than Maryse—which was still pretty tall for Clary. Both the woman and Maryse stopped their quarrel when they saw Jace._

"_You didn't get my message?" Asked Maryse carefully while fixing her messed up bun. She was breathing in and out as if trying to catch her breath._

"_No, mom. My battery ran out," said Jace. Clary eyed Jace carefully since she had never heard him calling Maryse "mom". "Did you need something?"_

_When Clary returned her eyes to Maryse, she saw that there was a small smile on her face. Her blue eyes flickered to Clary's. "No, it was nothing. Hello, Clary. How was your evening?"_

_Clary looked over at Jace—who was smirking—quickly before returning her gaze to Maryse's. "It was quite nice, Mrs. Lightwood."_

"_Ah!" Scolded Maryse._

"_Maryse." Clary corrected herself. Maryse smiled at her but it quickly faltered as her gaze moved to the unknown woman._

"_Kids, this is Madeleine Gray," she said, "From Child Support," she added as an afterthought._

_Clary's eyes widened and she heard Jace sucking in air through his teeth. Almost out of custom, Clary reached out and grabbed his hand. Jace squeezed hers gently._

_She looked over at the woman—Madeleine. She was studying Clary and Jace with an unreadable expression. Her brown eyes were concentrating a bit more in their interlocked hands. Clary grabbed onto Jace's hand more firmly._

"_So you must be Jace," said Madeleine in a clipped tone. Clary would have raised an eyebrow if she could. She looked slightly familiar to Clary. There was something off about the woman . . . Her eyes looked tired while her body conveyed power and superiority. It looked as if she was in a battle but was tired of fighting._

_She sighed when she received no response from Jace. She locked eyes with Clary for a few seconds and proceeded to look from Maryse to Jace._

"_I think it's better if we talk about this another day, Maryse." Madeleine began weaving her scarf around her neck._

"_That would be best, Madeleine. Perhaps a short notice would be nice for next time." Maryse nodded and raised an eyebrow at her. Clary could have sworn that Madeleine was refraining herself from rolling her eyes._

"_Happy Valentine's Day, Maryse," she said and started walking towards Clary and Jace. "Jace," she nodded at him. Her eyes flitted to Clary and she nodded in acknowledgement. It didn't go unnoticed to Clary that nobody replied to her._

_Once the door closed, Maryse slumped in the sofa near her. "Oh, how I dislike the woman," she muttered to herself but both Jace and Clary heard her. Jace chuckled and Clary cracked a smile._

"_What did she want?" Asked Jace, dragging Clary to the loveseat across from Maryse._

"_She wanted to monitor us for a day." She replied. She stood up and walked over to the threshold leading into the kitchen. "She's gone, Robert." She called before going back to sit on the sofa._

"_I thought she would never leave," said Robert as he walked in and sat next to Maryse. His eyes widened when he saw Clary and Jace. "Jace, Clary! You guys are back early! We weren't expecting you two to be back until about eight."_

_Jace shrugged. "We wanted to hang out here for a while. I'm taking her home later." Clary nodded in agreement._

"_Well, that's good. Is that why _she_ left?" Asked Robert emphasizing "she". Jace grinned._

"_My presence was too much for her." Jace sighed and Clary elbowed him on his side while she giggled. "Hey! It happens. But . . . Was she the same woman from the phone?" asked Jace._

"_Yes," responded Maryse. "It's not all Child Support against us. It's just her." She shook her head. "That woman is so . . . weird—for a lack of wording." Robert laughed._

"_I agree. She has this accent that comes out when she talks a lot. Quite annoying." Robert shook his head and then looked at Clary. "Anyways . . . Clary, we were thinking if you and your family would like to have dinner with us on Sunday."_

_Clary was taken aback by the invitation. "Oh! Well, I only live with my stepfather, but I'm sure he would love to come." Maryse seemed curious about it while Robert looked at Clary thoughtfully, but she didn't mind. She grinned up at Jace who had as smile as big as hers. Maryse gave up finally and smiled._

"_Great! Sunday; here at six."_

Clary was quite excited about the prospect of Luke meeting Maryse and Robert._ It would be so funny if they actually do know each other_, she though.

With that in mind, she walked into the ice cream shop. She was a bit disappointed when they told her they didn't need anyone, but that she could fill up an application and they would call her if was needed.

She shrugged it off and walked to the Blockbuster. She hadn't been there in months. It was usually Luke who would go and rent movies and sometimes Clary didn't even watch them.

When she walked in, she realized how much she had missed the place. A cashier said a quick "Hello" before going back to their customer. She decided to take a look at the store to see if things were just the same.

_Still in alphabetical order,_ she though with a grin. She saw they hadn't done a lot of renovating. Just a few new "RENT IT" signs strewn around the aisles.

Confident in herself, she went to the front and asked the first cashier she came upon about applications. The girl smiled kindly and gave her one to fill.

Just as she was finishing the "Experience" box she heard someone calling her name.

Frowning she turned around and saw a pair of brown eyes looking at her. "Nate?" She said it as a question.

He laughed. "Yeah. What's up? I never thought I would see you here." Clary smiled and shrugged.

"I'm looking for a job." She held up her application. "What are you doing here?"

"I actually work here," he said pointing to his blue vest. That was when Clary actually saw him. He was wearing khaki pants with his blue Blockbuster vest. He had a sticker that said, "Hello my name is: Nate!" His blonde hair was almost falling on his eyes. Clary had to remind herself that he was attractive.

"Oh!" She laughed. "I don't come here often anymore, but that makes sense."

"Yeah," he said. "Want me to help you get the job?" He raised an eyebrow and Clary saw his eyes twinkling. Clary's eyes widened.

"You can do that?" Clary felt her hope rising even more while Nate shrugged.

"Sure. That's how I got my job." He looked over to one of the cashiers. "Besides, Liz just got fired so I bet there's a spot for you." He looked down at Clary with a half smile.

"That would be amazing! I would owe you big time if you could!" Nate smiled.

"The manager is cool. I'm sure he'll hire you immediately." He pointed to the paper. "Are you done?" Clary looked down at it and decided that she was.

"Yeah. Here," she said and gave him the paper.

"Good. I'll be right back." He began walking to the small office next to the counter.

Clary stood there waiting patiently leaning against the counter. She decided to look at the previews in the television propped on the roof. The game Dead Space 2 was being promoted. Clary smiled as she recognized some of the levels that she had seen Simon play so many times at her house.

"Clarissa Fray?" She heard an unknown male voice saying. She turned around to see an average height man with salt and pepper hair. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. His hazel eyes looked friendly. Nate was right next to him.

"Just Clary, please." She responded with a smile. The man smiled kindly and looked up at the TV.

"You play?" He asked nodding at the television. Clary smirked.

"Once in a while. It's not too good for my competitive streak so I try to limit myself." The man smiled more openly.

"Is that your real hair color?" He pointed at her braid. Clary frowned. _What did that have to do with anything? _she asked herself. Her eyes flickered to Nate for a second before returning to the man.

"Yeah," she smiled at the ridiculousness. She touched her hair subconsciously.

The man grinned. "Levi," he said, offering his hand. "When can you start?"

* * *

_I have several excuses but I hate excuses. One: Horrible writer's block. INMENSE! Not even kidding. Two: I was in a musical. We just finished last Saturday, so I'm all yours now. Three: I'm already working on Speech and Debate for this school year.  
Now, I sort of have the next chapter planned, but I'm thinking of updating my other NEW story: _**Black Ace**._ :D You guys should go read it. I have big plans for this one.  
I want to give a shoutout again to _camibandlover_ for almost killing me for not updating and helping me on this. Also to _BlondeHairBlueEyes14_ for not dying on me. :) _07XReflectional_ deserves one too because she ALWAYS makes me break my writer's block and this time wasn't the exception. :D_

_Would you guys be the ever amazing readers and..._

_Review? :)_


	20. Chapter Nineteen

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Young Folks- Peter Bjorn and John_

_We'll Be A Dream- We The Kings [Feat. Demi Lovato]_

_Heartless- Dia Frampton [Original by Kanye West]_

There is some . . . Intensity. :]

* * *

~Chapter Nineteen~

**SUNDAY**

Jace frowned at his sister from across the kitchen counter. He had wanted to ask her what was going on with her since after he came back from leaving Clary on Friday. Isabelle had been too happy, cheery, and giddy. For example, right now, Isabelle Lightwood was tapping her fingers fast against the counter while eating her pancakes with a huge grin.

Jace shook his head. This was too much. Friday night, all of Saturday, and now also Sunday? He looked over at his brother, who was sitting next to Isabelle. Alec raised an eyebrow and cocked his head on Isabelle's direction. Jace nodded.

"Iz," Jace began. Isabelle raised her head from her plate at the mention of her name. "What the hell is wrong with you?" A corner of Isabelle's mouth quirked up before she controlled it.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she replied just before stuffing her mouth. Reaching over the table, she grabbed a napkin to cover her smile. Alec rolled his eyes and nudged her with his elbow.

"Just spit it out." Isabelle rolled her eyes at her brothers.

"Always the straightforward," she said before standing up with the plate in hand. She began walking towards the sink to deposit her plate. "Unfortunately—for you guys, of course—I'm not telling either of you." Turning back to their annoyed expressions, she smiled sweetly before walking towards the door. "Oh," she began turning back to them, "Clary's coming over today. Don't forget!" She winked at Jace and left.

Jace rolled his eyes as she exited, but grinned on the inside. Like if he could ever forget that Clary would be coming for dinner with Luke. Suddenly, Alec stood up as well without even finishing his pancakes. Jace raised an eyebrow.

"Cramps?" He asked. Alec turned around to face him with a frown.

"What?" He responded with a baffled expression.

Jace pointed at the half-full plate. "You barely ate. You've got cramps?" Alec rolled his eyes but there was a faint blush in his cheeks.

"No," he threw the pancakes on Jace's plate. Jace's eyes brightened. "I'm going out . . . For a—a walk . . . Yeah, a walk." Jace stopped with his fork midway to his mouth and looked at his brother with a smirk.

"A walk, eh?" he took the fork and brought it to his mouth as Alec nodded with a brighter blush in his cheeks.

"Yes. So, I think I should be going. I'll be back at four." He dropped his now empty plate in the sink just like Isabelle had done and begin leaving.

"Oh, and Alec," Jace called with a mouthful of pancakes. Alec turned around right before he left. "Say hi to Magnus for me." Alec's blush intensified as he nodded and exited.

Jace grinned down at his newly replenished plate of pancakes.

_This morning is not going too bad,_ he thought before digging into his plate.

o.8.o

"Luke," Clary called from the hallway, "We are going to be late!"

"Clary," Luke came out of his room in the process of putting his jacket on. He checked his watch before looking up at his daughter. "It's barely 5:50." She cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, and we have to be there at six!" Clary walked up to Luke and fixed the collar of his jacket before grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the door. "Once again; we are going to be late!" Luke let her take him to the front door.

He chuckled. "Someone is excited."

"Excited, yes. But I think a little bit more nervous is the correct term." Clary smiled tentatively at Luke. He grabbed the keys and motioned Clary to step out of the house.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to hurry up and get there, right?" Clary beamed at Luke as he locked the door of the house. She, then, skipped over towards Luke's beat-up truck and entered the passenger's seat.

They were silent for most part of the ride listening to music. Luke looked over at Clary's smiling face. With a start, Luke realized how happy Clary looked. Luke grinned and looked back towards the road. It made him happy that she was.

"So, Clary . . . How are Jace's parents?" Asked Luke while he rounded a corner.

"Well, they are really nice."Clary smiled mischievously. "You'll see. Oh! But it won't be just Jace, his parents, and us. Also Isabelle and her brother, Alec."

Luke looked over at Clary from the corner of his eye. "Isabelle?" he asked.

"Yeah. Jace was adopted by Isabelle's family."

_Well, not technically adopted_, she thought.

Luke's eyes widened slightly, Clary noted, but he nodded. "Okay, then." He looked at her and smiled. Clary smiled slightly before looking back to the road.

o.8.o

_Knock, knock!_

Clary bit her bottom lip to stop herself from grinning. She didn't want to look like a maniac, even if she already knew Robert and Maryse.

Feeling hands on both her forearms, she turned to look behind her to see Luke. He smiled at her.

"Everything is going to be okay," he whispered encouragingly. Clary smiled big at him and nodded her assent. Luke stepped away but kept an arm around her as the door opened.

"Clary!" The person in front of Clary yelped and stepped forward to give her a huge hug. Clary smiled and laughed.

"Hello, Izzy," she said. Isabelle stepped away and turned to Luke. She smiled.

"Hello, Mr. G!" She said loudly. Luke chuckled.

"Isabelle," he nodded, "Nice seeing you again." Isabelle beamed.

"Likewise. Now come on in!" She stood back and led them into the living room. "I'll go tell mom and dad that you two are here. Jace and Alec are barely getting changed," she rolled her eyes and started walking towards the doorway. "I told them . . ." She shook her head. "Anyways, make yourself at home!"

As Isabelle left, Clary sat on the beige couch that faced the television, Luke following behind her.

"Welcome to the infamous Lightwood house," whispered Clary lightly to Luke. He chuckled just as they heard a pair of heels clacking loudly on the floor. They turned towards the doorway just as Maryse stepped in. They stood up simultaneously.

"I'm sorry I couldn't welcome you myself b—" Maryse stopped as she looked at Luke. Her blue eyes widened slightly. When Clary looked over at Luke, she saw he looked the same.

"Maryse," he said surprised.

"Oh, my . . . Luke?" she asked uncertainly. Clary grinned. Luke laughed and stepped forward. Maryse followed and they hugged. "I can't believe it's really you!"

"I can honestly say the same," he said as they separated. "How have you be—"

"Maryse, are you in here?" Robert came in looking around. He saw Clary and smiled. His eyes then moved from Maryse's to Luke's, where they widened instantly. "Luke!" Robert asked with a grin as he walked up to Luke with a laugh.

Luke was smiling as big as him. They man-hugged as they chuckled to themselves. Clary shook her head incredulously.

_Men_, she mused to herself.

Maryse came up to Clary with a big smile. "Clary!" She hugged Clary which surprised her immensely. "You keep surprising us, dear!" Clary shrugged with a smile. Maryse laughed softly.

"Reunion?" Clary turned to see Jace coming in. His eyes were already on her. He smirked and started walking towards Luke. "Hello, Luke." Luke returned the greeting and they shook hands. Jace, then, started walking towards Clary. He was wearing a pair of dark washed jeans and a nice button-down black shirt.

_Fun-freaking-tastic_, she thought with a grin.

"Hey, Clare," he said and bent down to kiss her cheek. She felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"Hello," she whispered and tugged on his shirt. "I like this." She looked up to his eyes. He grinned at her.

"I'd tell you what I like, but our parents are right here, so," he trailed off and looked down at what she was wearing. "Let's just say I'm surprised to see that you're wearing a dress." It was a dark, faded pink dress with miniature dark blue flowers everywhere. She had dark blue tights on and a white comfy sweater. Clary had found everything in the back of her closet, where she had hid her former self.

Clary rolled her eyes. "I have more from where this came from," was all she said as she walked over to where Isabelle was standing in the doorway. "Have you been there a long time?" Isabelle's head snapped to Clary's swiftly, making her hair almost hit Clary in the face. Isabelle grinned.

"Nah, just came in." She looked around to the adults conversing. "Do you think we could go to my room before dinner?" Clary looked at them as well.

"I don't know . . . You tell me." Isabelle smiled and grabbed Clary's hand.

"Call us for dinner, okay?" Isabelle called out over her shoulder as she led Clary towards the steps. They heard a chorus of _yes_'s coming from the living room. Clary laughed as they bounded up the stairs.

"So, what are we doing?" Clary turned her head to see Jace hot on their heels. He winked at her with a grin.

"_Clary and I,"_ began Isabelle, emphasizing, "are going to my room to discuss important matters. You are probably going to go to your bedroom, yeah?" Isabelle tossed a smile over her shoulder before walking over to her door.

"Oh, come on, Iz! Don't leave me alone!" Clary giggled at how whiny he had made his voice. Isabelle opened her door and pushed Clary inside. Then, she turned to look at Jace.

"Sorry! Girl talk. You know, periods, maternity . . ." Jace seemed unmoved by that, just raising an eyebrow. "Marriage . . . ?" She tried. Faster than lightning, Jace was gone. Isabelle laughed and closed the door silently. Clary plopped down on Isabelle's purple bed. Looking up, she saw Isabelle smiling to herself as she walked towards Clary. She sat next to her.

She sighed. "Oh, Clary!" Throwing her hands up, she laid on her back looking at the ceiling. Clary followed her movements.

"What the hell happened?" Clary asked lazily, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she felt Isabelle grasping her arm, tightly. Clary's eyes popped open instantly and looked over at Isabelle with questioning eyes.

"I won, Clary!" She squealed. Clary's frown just deepened.

"What are you talking about, Izzy?" Isabelle stood up dragging Clary with her.

"Simon asked me out on Friday," she said, quite calm. Clary's eyes widened.

"Like, Simon Lewis? _My _best friend, Simon Lewis?" Isabelle nodded biting her lip. Clary grinned. "When was this? Where was _I_? Why are you barely _telling me?_" Isabelle laughed.

"Like I said, Friday. You were with Jace, and," she frowned. "I don't really know why I'm barely telling you. But _that doesn't matter!_ Oh, god . . . I'm just, really happy."

And she did look happy, Clary noticed. Her dark eyes were shining more than usual and her face had a glow. Without knowing what she was doing, Clary brought Isabelle in for a hug.

"I'm so happy for you and Simon." Clary pulled back. "You two deserve it." Isabelle grinned.

"Thank you, Clary. That means a lot." Clary laughed at her friend.

"Anytime, Izzy."

o.8.o

"Hmm, maybe about thirteen years," answered Luke after taking a bite of the amazing pasta Maryse had prepared.

Maryse raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She nodded with a smile. "That's a long time! You and Jocelyn were always so close."

They were talking about Clary's mom, Jocelyn, and about her life before the accident.

"No wonder Clary is such a wonderful young lady," began Robert with a smile. "She was raised by two of the best people in this world." Clary blushed. She felt an elbow hitting her side. Looking over, she saw Jace smirking at her, which made her cheeks redden even more.

Raising her head, Clary saw Luke looking at her with a small smile. "Yeah, she's the best daughter I could've ever asked for." She rolled her eyes at him and he cracked a bigger smile. He looked back to Maryse. "Well, your kids are also great! I mean, Isabelle and Jace are almost always at my house." They all laughed at that, which Clary found weird, but comforting.

Looking up at the rest, she knew she wasn't the only one. Jace was trying very hard to keep his eyes on the plate. Isabelle was doing something under the table. And Alec was fidgeting every once in a while, an uncomfortable look on his face.

Clary jumped as she felt a vibration in her dress pocket. She pulled out her phone and saw a message from Isabelle. She looked up at her with questioning eyes, but Isabelle just shrugged.

_**Is it just me or is this really, really awkward? –I.**_

Clary cracked a smile and began texting back.

_**Nope. I feel it too. Haha! –C.**_

_**Why must parents embarrass us all the time? –I.**_

_**I think they are just doing it on purpose. Luke is mocking me. I know it. –C.**_

_**Oh, God! :D If mom looks at me texting, she'll kill me. Going back to, "No texting on the table!" But it's not like a can really say, "I'm not **_**on**_** the table," while you and Luke are here… xD –I.**_

_**Luke would kill me too. "It's all about good manners," he would say. We'll talk later, yeah? I don't want to know what our parents would do if they caught any of us. –C.**_

_**Ditto. –I. **_

o.8.o

"My ceiling is better," murmured Clary to Jace's side. She felt his vibration pass all over him; from the arm holding her close to him to the whole length of his body pressed against her.

"Really?" He asked sarcastically.

She nodded. "Mine has a poster of the constellations. Yours is just . . . White."

They were staring at Jace's ceiling from where they laid on his bed. They had come up after dinner when the adults started going down memory lane. Clary and Jace wanted to save the details of their parents' teenager lives.

"I happen to like it," he told her. Rolling her eyes, she turned her face to look up at him.

"I never said I didn't like it. I just said mine was better." Jace raised an eyebrow.

"No one ever asked your opinion," he stated simply. Clary smiled.

"Nope," she kissed him lightly. "But you still wanted to know."

"You just love thinking everything revolves around you, huh?" Jace asked softly, pinching her nose. She wrinkled her nose.

"There's a difference between thinking and knowing. And I _know_ everything revolves around me. At least, that is, when you are around me."

"You," he said, roughly, "Are too conceited for your own good." She opened her mouth to say something but his lips were already on hers.

Clary grabbed his shoulders immediately, finding a good grip on Jace as he began bruising her lips. She moaned loudly as his tongue began exploring her mouth. Jace, suddenly, flipped her over, and soon, he was on top of her. Clary found the pressure of his whole body against hers marvelous. She moved her hands from his shoulders, to his hair, down to the nape of his neck, until she was grasping his neck, bringing him closer to her.

Moaning, Jace grabbed Clary by her hips, his thumbs stroking her sides lovingly—completely contradictory to what was really happening with their mouths interlocked.

Putting her arms around him, Clary fisted her hands on the fabric of his shirt from the back. She suddenly missed, wanted, _desired _the feeling of his warm skin in touch with hers. She broke off the kiss with a growl. Opening her eyes, she came upon gold ones.

"As much," she panted, "As I like this," she tugged the collar of his black dress shirt, "I. Want it. _Off_." Jace, his lids hooded, nodded his assent. Clary, not waiting for anything else, began tearing apart the buttons from his shirt. Once the entire shirt was unbuttoned, she ran her hands from the middle oh his chest towards his shoulders, pushing the shirt completely off of him. "_Yes!" _she hissed before Jace pounced on her once again.

Her hands were all over his chest and back, through every scar. Every single one of them. Clary couldn't get enough of each one. She just wanted to keep running her fingers over each and every one of them. To kiss them. Count them. Add them. Subtract them. Find the square ro—

She broke apart. The lack of oxygen was making her think of mathematics. Jace was panting as hard as Clary, but that didn't stop him. He started peppering her neck with small kisses, but nonetheless, they were still driving her crazy.

They rolled over, and Clary was on top of Jace. His hands were all over her back, hugging her closer to him. Clary, not being able to resist, grabbed him by the hair and guided his mouth to hers once more. Jace groaned at the roughness of her actions.

Clary felt Jace starting to slow down the kiss. Their tongues were no longer fighting for control, but dancing. Clary liked the other way better, but this kiss was taking her breath away. It was so full of emotion and want.

The caresses became softer as well. Clary stopped pulling on his hair and just ran her fingers through it. Jace had one hand on her hair and the other on the small of her back, keeping her secured to him.

All too soon, or at least for Clary, they broke apart. Clary rested her head against his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart as he breathed in and out. His fingers were combing her curls expertly. Clary closed her eyes. The feel of Jace all around her was too overpowering.

Clary realized something right there, while laying on top of Jace's naked chest, feeling his breath hitting her ear. Although just a few days ago they had almost said it, Clary felt adamant on telling him there. It was so peaceful, and she felt safe.

"Jace," she began and raised her head to look at him. He opened his eyes to look at her. She smiled when she saw how bright they were. His lips were red and swollen, but he still managed to smile sweetly at her. "I—I love you."

His eyes widened, but then closed. He breathed in, and then out. It sounded defeated. "I love you too, Clary." When he opened his eyes, he saw Clary frowning at him.

"Do you really mean it? Or are you just saying it to not sound like a dipstick?" The way he had said it was just, well, not convincing. His eyes suddenly looked tired. His hand trailed her cheek and down her jaw.

"I mean it, Clare. It's just," he trailed off. His hand left her face and went to his hair, where he pushed it back from his forehead. Clary got off from him and sat on his bed next to him, frowning.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly. He sat up as well and turned his body towards hers. He looked at her.

"I don't want to lie, Clary." Her frown deepened.

"I'm not following, Jace," she told him. He sighed and grabbed her hands.

"I know. I'm not making sens—"

"You're right about that," she interrupted. He kissed her nose with chuckle.

"Yes, I know." He sighed. "The think is, last time I told someone I loved them . . . It didn't really go through." Clary rolled her eyes.

"Jace," she began with a scowl. "I almost undressed you. I really don't want to talk about your other girlfriends. I mean, the past is the pa—" She was interrupted by a finger on her lips.

"No, Clary," he said with a smile. "I'm not talking about girlfriends." She frowned again.

"Then, what _are_ you talking about?" Jace sighed. He stood up from the bed and ran his hands though his hair. Clary tried not to stare at his back as it flexed.

He suddenly turned around and locked his eyes with Clary's. "It was my fault Max died."

Clary's eyes widened and she got up from the bed. "Jace," she began, "That can't be true."

He walked up to Clary until he was standing right in front of her. His eyes looked troubled. "But it is." She crossed her arms.

"Then explain it." He sighed and sat her down on the edge of the bed as he sat next to her.

"I went through my rebellion stage just last year. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. They would steal, be disrespectful . . ." he trailed off with a pained look. "They _killed_, Clary. _Killed._" Clary's frown turned incredulous. "I swear, I didn't know. I didn't even like them all that much. I just wanted to prove a point to Maryse. Show her I wasn't that little kid she picked up years ago."

"But—"

"Just, let me talk, Clary," he interrupted her. She nodded and grabbed his hands. He nodded at her actions with gratefulness. "Max and I were playing treasure hunt that week. I was hanging out with _them_ when he went to this garbage disposal to look for the _treasure_. But—" Jace choked on his words and Clary squeezed his hands. "That was their hideout.

"Max didn't know. I tried to keep him away from these guys. They were scary. I didn't want Max knowing I was with them." Clary didn't miss the fact that he always excluded himself when he talked about _them_. "He was there at the wrong time, at the wrong place. And it was _my_ fault because I was supposed to go with him. I was supposed to look for the treasure with him. I promised him I would look out for him. And I didn't."

He finally looked up from their entwined hands. Clary was staring at Jace expressionless and that sort of scared him even more.

She nodded slowly. "Okay," was all she said. She kissed him lightly on the lips and repeated, "Okay."

"Okay?" he asked her.

She nodded again. "Yes. Okay. It means 'I understand'. But it still doesn't explain why you 'don't want to lie'."

"I don't know if I'm capable of loving like I once was." He sighed.

She laughed humorlessly, suddenly angry. "I could be telling you the same thing. I also lost my brother. I also feel responsible for his death. But, you know what? I'm trying to mend my heart. I'm giving myself the right to love again." She let go of his hands. "You are being selfish, Jace." He raised an eyebrow.

"Selfish?" he asked. "I'm looking out for your well-being. How is that selfish?"

She shook her head and looked at him. "No. You are not! If you were looking out for my 'well-being' you would be trying to love me, just like I'm trying. Putting yourself out there, just like I am." She scowled. "Don't you see?" He became angry all of the sudden.

"No, I don't see." He got up from the bed. "I'm trying to do what's best for us here bu—"

She got up as well. "Best for us? How the hell is what you are doing the best for us? Because to be truly honest, I _do not_ think it is the _best for us_!" She spit his words like venom. Tears were starting to pile up in her eyes from the anger that was bubbling up inside her.

"You are being unreasonable!" He yelled. Clary scoffed.

"Unreasonable? _Unreasonable!_" A tear escaped her eye, and she wiped it away furiously. "I'm not the one being unreasonable!"

"I'm not the one being heartless!" He told her. He saw as her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. She nodded. Jace's eyes widened. He realized what he had said. She grabbed her sweater from where it had been lying on his bed.

Without another word, she began walking towards the door. She opened it, stepped out, and began closing it. Jace was staring at the floor, right next to where his shirt was lying.

"Oh, and Jace?" He looked up at her. She was looking at him with a stoic face, the tears had dried off from his eyes. It was like she wasn't Clary anymore. It was like they were back on square one and she was, once again, Roxanne, and he was just Jace.

She took her time before finally looking him square in the eye.

"Fuck you."

* * *

_;D_

_You may now kill me._

_I didn't keep my promise. -.- Well, that's a shocker. I apologize. I do not know when I'll update again, but I'm hoping and praying before September ends. :)_

_Shout outs to the same ladies, like always. _BlondeHairBlueEyes14_ for leaving me for the Bahamas. -.- _camibandlover_ for basically killing me yesterday night. _BELLE_ for being the amazing beauty she is—sorry, Cams. ;D And lastly my beautiful _07XReflectional_, for telling me to get this over with so I can finish editing her stuff. :D She may be the only one happy with the outcome of this chapter._

_Now, go stab me, shoot me, strangle me, etc. with your..._

_Review? :D_


	21. Chapter Twenty

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs: _

_The Scientist- Coldplay _

_A Modern Myth- 30 Seconds to Mars_

I'm afraid you won't enjoy . . . ? x)

* * *

~Chapter Twenty~

_Great, _she thought sarcastically.

She felt bad. More than bad, actually. She understood why well enough, but she never thought she would feel like this.

Heartbroken she had been when her mom and Jonathan died, but . . . This was different. She felt different. She felt limbless, as if someone had come and jacked her up, leaving her empty. With nothing.

"But he had no reason to say that!"

She groaned and rolled over on her bed. Her face landed on the pillow as she yelled onto it. She hadn't cried; she didn't need to. Yelling, she tried to see if anything, _anything _came out. But nothing did.

_Knock, knock._

She rolled over again, her back hitting the mattress. Sighing, she took a breath.

"Yes?" she called out. The door opened and Luke came in. He sat on the edge of the side of her bed carefully. He took off his glasses wearily, folding them neatly in his hand before looking down at her.

"Clary?" he said questioningly. She sighed.

"I'm fine, Luke."

"I want to know what happened," he demanded in a clear voice. There was no anger, sadness or _anything _in his voice. Clary looked at his familiar blue eyes, but, unfortunately, she couldn't find it in herself to tell him.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "One thing led to another. Sooner than the sun coming out, it ended." She sucked in a breath as she said it.

_It ended._

He put his hand on her arm in a comforting manner. Se smiled at him sadly and he returned it.

And that's when it happened.

She felt the stinging on the back of her eyes as her throat closed up. Her vision fogged up with tears. One fell down her cheek lovingly. That's all it took for the rest to fall.

Luke gathered her in his arms and held her tightly as she cried on his shoulder. Sobbing, she felt the relief of it coming out in waves. She felt lighter, but not at all better.

"Clary, it's going to be okay," he murmured into her hair. "This happens in relationships all the time. You just have to talk about it. In the heat of the moment, you both said things that you didn't want to tell each other. You can't let that break you two apart." Clary shook her head.

"No, Luke. You don't und—" Luke pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"I understand more than you think. I am the one with more than four decades of experience." He looked down at his lap and took a deep breath. "Remember how bad it hurt us when we heard about your mom and John?" Clary's eyes widened at the pain that flashed through his eyes. She felt the tugging in her stomach that she always felt when she thought of them. She nodded. "Okay, now remember that girl two weeks before that? Remember her smile? Her light?"

Clary was at a loss of words. Her throat was closing up once again. She looked from one of Luke's eyes to the other. Luke nodded.

"I didn't see that girl ever again," he paused, "Until Jace came into the picture. And not only Jace, but Isabelle too." She opened her mouth to speak but he interrupted her. "You changed a lot for the better. I don't want you to go back to your shell. Ever again, for that matter."

She looked at her stepfather. He had been there for her billions of times, and there he was again. Offering him a small smile, she nodded while she wiped her tears away. Luke smiled.

"Go wash your face," he said, leaving. She nodded again. "How about a Dukes' night?" She turned around with a stunned face. Back when Jonathan was alive, Clary, Luke, and he would watch the whole Dukes of Hazard movies at least once a week. Obviously, they hadn't that since his death.

"Yes," she said, smiling brighter. "I think I'd like that." She sniffed with a small laugh.

"Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream?" He asked over his shoulder.

"Yes, sir!" Replied Clary with a smile.

A few minutes after Luke left, Clary decided to go wash her face like Luke had suggested. Walking across the hallway, she entered the room flooding the room with light instantly with the switch.

Refusing to look at the mirror, she began by splashing water on her face. Cold water. Scrubbing her cheeks like if that would somehow erase the night's memories, she finished. Once she was done drying herself, she looked in the mirror.

Her dress was wrinkled now and she had already discarded her sweater a long time ago. She looked at her uncovered arms, which had goose bumps from the contact with cold water. Then she finally looked at herself. Her eyes weren't really that puffy since she just cried for a little while, but it was a bit noticeable. Her nose was red from all the sniffing while her hair looked like a big red mess.

Sighing, she grabbed an elastic hair band and gathered her head to the top of her head. Satisfied with her look, she sat down on the toilet seat and put her head on her hands. Since she had never been in a relationship, she didn't know what it would feel like for it to end. Or come to a pause . . . Or whatever Jace and she were going through was.

_Why is tomorrow Monday?_ she asked to herself.

Shaking her head, she got up and started walking towards the door. Looking to the side for a moment, she caught her reflection once again.

"I didn't mean half of the things I said," she said, her voice hoarse. "I really didn't," she repeated in a whisper.

Gazing back at the white bathroom door, she felt a stinging begin at the back of her eyes. Laying her forehead against the cool wood, she sighed shakily.

"Oh, Jace . . ."

o.8.o

"I knew you'd be down here."

He turned around towards the door where Isabelle stood shrouded in shadow. Jace relaxed his stance and started catching his breath.

"What do you want?" He asked, and he knew it sounded harsh. Isabelle didn't seem to mind. She shrugged.

"You tell me."

He narrowed her eyes at his sister. "What did you hear?"

Her eyes widened. "Well, nothing. I was downstairs with Alec when she came thundering down the stairs to ask Luke if they could go home. Her face was void of emotion, and I immediately knew something was up."

Jace sighed. He walked over to where Isabelle was standing next to the stairs. He sat down on one of the bottom ones. She followed suit. "How did you find me?" She grabbed her hair and pulled it over her shoulder.

"There are only a few places you would be after a confrontation," she began. "One; playing basketball, but your ball was in your room. Two; playing your guitar or something, but your guitar was also in your room. And lastly; well, the basement with your punching bag." She pointed at it with a sigh.

"I didn't even know we still had old Frankie. It's surrounded by all this junk." Isabelle stifled a laugh.

"Oh, Frankie," she said with a grin. Jace wanted to smile with her, but he couldn't. Isabelle noticed.

"How the hell did you manage to piss Clary off? I mean, I try _all the time_! It's almost impossible!" She had tried to ease off the tension of Clary's and Jace's argument, but it was impossible.

"I didn't just piss her off. I think we . . ." He sucked in a breath. "I think we broke up." Isabelle's eyebrows shot up.

"_What? _B—but _how?_" She asked, hysterically.

Jace looked over both his shoulders. "Well, let's just say—Iz, you can't tell anyone I told you. Not even Clary. Scratch that, _especially_ Clary—I've heard her cuss only twice." He looked around the room, expecting Clary to come out of somewhere. He couldn't help feeling a tad bit disappointed when she didn't even if he knew it was highly improbable. "And she was more than pissed both times."

Isabelle frowned. "Did she cuss at you upstairs?"

Jace scratched the back of his neck. "Sort of . . . Right after I said something I shouldn't have. But, Iz, I don't _want_ this. And I _know_ she doesn't either. I want to fix it."

"Then do so. If she didn't say '_it's over'_, or '_we're done'_, then you're good." Isabelle half-smiled.

Jace's mouth twitched. "What about _'fuck you'_?" Isabelle's eyebrows practically disappeared.

"She _said_ that?" Jace nodded wordlessly. Isabelle stared laughing and Jace immediately frowned at her.

"What the hell, Iz?"

"This would be amazing blackmail if you hadn't told me I can't tell her." She pouted.

"Yeah, yeah. Too bad." Isabelle nudged his shoulder with her own.

"Cheer up! You'll fix it tomorrow, yeah?" Jace's mouth turned up slightly.

"Yeah. I will."

o.8.o

_Drama. Humor. Gold. Drama. Action. Horror. Gold. New Release. Gold. Gold Fami—_

She took her stack of Drama DVD's and began walking towards the Drama aisle. _Skateland._ Walking towards the S's on the aisle, she sighed. Ever since she was eleven, she always imagined what it would be like to _finally_ work at Blockbuster.

_Amazing. Titles. Movies. Previews. _She would think. _And best of all? Free movies!_

Unfortunately, those were not the thoughts on her mind as she re-shelved movies. Her thoughts were actually more depressing than that.

Monday afternoon. She had thought it would've actually been better. Having an apology memorized, she had walked as confident as she could to school.

Turns out, you can try as hard as you can to memorize something, but once you are in front of that person, what comes out of your mouth is more than completely different to what you had in mind.

Again? _she thought as she raced towards her first period. _

_Her teacher was still outside, but he looked ready to close the door on her face. Teacher's pet or not._

_She sped up immediately, actually running down the hall. Mr. Nelson saw her and frowned . . . Or at least she thought so. His face seemed to be in a permanent frown._

_"Ms. Fray," he greeted scornfully. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood. If not I would've given you detention for running down the halls." _

_"Thank you, Mr. Nelson," she said, desperately trying to not roll her eyes. He nodded and held the door open for her as the bell rang._

_She stood just inside the class, catching her breath. She opened her eyes to stark walking towards her seat when she noticed that the seat next to her was empty. Her eyebrows shot straight up._

_Swallowing loudly, she sat down on her seat and turned on the computer. Just as she was about to start working on their assignment, the King of the moment came in. _

_Clary peered over her monitor. _He looks good, _she thought, which was basically her first thought whenever she saw him. She frowned as she realized that, even though he _did_ look good, there was something different. Narrowing her eyes, she noticed his hair looked messier, as if he had run his hands through it over and over again. She almost gasped out loud at the purple bags under his eyes. Bags that were identical to the ones under hers._

_She touched them unconsciously as she saw him passing Mr. Nelson a tardy slip. Jace didn't even wait for Mr. Nelson to give him back his tardy slip. He just went directly and sat on his chair, looking at the floor. Never, _not even once,_ glancing at her. All of the built up willpower seemed to deflate._

_She sucked in a breath quickly and began working. She could feel the eyes of freshmen looking at her. Looking at them both. They knew something was up. Clary and Jace had been coming into class together for the past two weeks._

_Clary would glance at Jace every so often, but he looked so immersed to his reading that she almost didn't believe him. He was making it harder for her to grab the courage and talk to him. _

_Sick of his game, Clary grabbed a piece of paper from her notebook._

What the hell is up with you? _she wrote and passed it to him. He seemed to barely glance at it before writing on it._

I am not understanding what you are asking, _he had written down. Clary's eyebrow almost rose up._

Jace, I don't want to be one of those cliché couples, okay? Just because we had a fight doesn't mean I don't want you in my life.

_He took his time reading that one. Clary could almost bet that he browsed it thrice. Finally, he wrote something down and passed it to her._

Are you serious about that?

_Clary didn't really understand what he meant by that._

Yes, Jace. Of course I want you as my friend, _she wrote._

_Clary watched him carefully. His eyebrow rose and his lip twitched, but not in a smile. He wrote something down fast and basically pushed the paper at her._

Sorry, Clare. I don't want to be friends.

_She felt the knot on her throat tighten. Crumpling the note on her hand, she grabbed her backpack and began walking to the door. Mr. Nelson and Jace both stood up at the same time._

_"Ms. Fra—"_

_"Clary! I didn't mean it like th—"_

_Clary ignored Mr. Nelson completely and glared at Jace. "Save it."_

After that, Clary had definitely been ignoring Jace throughout the entire day. She had wanted to fix things, but he didn't want to. She would just have to go on with her life . . . As hard as that sounded.

She just didn't understand what had changed on one night. When she had been in his room the night before, she had seen the regret of what he had said.

_Bloody hypocrite, _she thought British-ly.

"Hey, Clary! Calm down!" Hands covered hers as she noticed that she had been slamming the DVD's onto the shelves. She looked up to see Nate's friendly brown eyes looking at her with concern. She let out a nervous laugh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even notice I was doing that." Nate smiled.

"Don't worry about it. So what's got you all worked out?" His eyes twinkled and she felt like she could tell him anything.

"Just . . . Jace," she answered truthfully, re-shelving once again. He frowned.

"Trouble in paradise?" He asked. Clary turned her head with a glare fixed for his mocking, but saw that he was being completely serious. She dropped her eyes.

"I wouldn't even call it paradise actually." His eyebrows seemed to disappear into his headline.

"Did you two break up?"

Clary looked up at him and realized she honestly didn't know. She shrugged. "Maybe yes, maybe no. Not even I know." Nathan frowned.

"When was this?" He took Clary's stack of DVD's and began stacking them himself. She sighed.

"Either yesterday or today," replied Clary in a small voice as she stared at her shoes.

"_No lo creo! _I'm so sorry." Clary nodded at his apology, not really in lecture mood to tell him she could care less about pity. "_Mira_, how about we do something."

She lifted her head with a frown. "What do you mean?" He half-smiled and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"Let's grab a movie we both haven't seen. One that looks bad. Really bad. And then we take one that sounds like it could be immensely entertaining and we watch them." By the time he finished, he was grinning.

"Today?" She asked uncertainly. "On a Monday?" He shrugged.

"We could just watch one movie today since we get off at eight."

Clary thought about it. Actually processed it through her head. Isabelle said she wanted to talk to her today, as in phone call. But that could always wait after a fun movie night with a person who she barely knew. A brand new, fresh person she could actually learn from. He seemed to want to help her truly.

Looking up at his brown eyes, she found herself nodding.

"Okay, then," she said with a smile. "One today, tomorrow the other."

He grinned. "Deal!"

* * *

_:] EEP! THIS IS CHAPTER TWENTY! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! :D I felt soo happy when I actually finished this! (Just ten minutes ago.) We may be close to the ending, but not too close yet. ;D_

camibandlover_ gave me an extension of one day because we've had a lot of homework and stuff. So . . . Not what you guys were expecting but *shrugs* I can't do too much. xD_

_I want to thank my amazing anons who are just plain amazing! :D I wish I could talk to you guys and tell you how awesome you guys are! :D_

_Thanks to _BlondeHairBlueEyes14_ for . . . Everything? xD This chick up there ^^ Cams, who is just weird in general and is bugging me about this AN and talking about hot Adam from Secret Circle. o.O Haha! And _07XReflectional_ who is such a procrastinator that hasn't been able to read the last _Black Ace_ update. o.o Lmao! :D_

_TRANSLATIONS:_

_"No lo creo!"_ — I can't believe it!

_"Mira,"_ — Look.

_ONE MORE THING: Guys, would you mind reading my other story, Black Ace? It's rated M and has sexy grown up Jace and normal grown up Clary . . . and has Jace as well! :D I will love you forever!_

_So, guys, would you mind sending your thanks to Olivher, my amazing iPod, for keeping me connected to my personal agenda? ;D (Meaning Camille) The only way to do that is to . . ._

_Review? :D_


	22. Chapter Twenty One

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Pyro- Kings of Leon_

_Stay With Me- You Me at Six_

Short, but will make you smile! :D

* * *

~Chapter Twenty-One~

"There's nothing tying him to this place anymore."

The woman frowned at the younger teen.

"Sweetheart . . . I do not understand why you want this so badly. It's not logical, or ethical. There is no real reason for why I could take him away. His family has good records, except for the last yea—"

"I don't want to hear it, _Maddie,"_ interrupted the teen glaring. The woman flinched at the use of her name. "I want him out of there." Looking around the room, she softened her tone. "He's not happy, and I just want people to be happy."

The woman's frown deepened. "You've been here less than a month. How can you possibly know that?"

"I can see it in their eyes, _mom_!" she yelled frustrated. Madeleine almost thought her daughter had a crazed look on her gray eyes.

"Eyes are not the most accurate resource for pain, Teresa." The teen huffed and stomped her foot on the floor.

"_Por dios, mamá! _My name is Tessa! _Tessa! _You never listen to me! _Nunca! _I'm only the confused, angst-y teen for you." She turned around halfway and muttered softly something undecipherable.

"I'm sorry?" asked Madeleine frowning.

"I said, 'I should've stayed with dad'."

Madeleine's eyes widened. "No, sweetheart. No!" Tessa grinned to herself while faking a sniff. Her mother put her hands on each of Tessa's arms. "It's not like that. I just want to get to know you. I want to know who my daughter is. Please, don't say those things." Tessa faux-sniffed again.

"It's okay, mom. I think I'm being too harsh on y—"

"No, no," interrupted Madeleine. "Please, act the way you normally do. Don't change because of me." Tessa willed a tear to roll down her cheek before turning around to look at her mother in the eye.

"I won't, _mami._ But . . . Do you understand why I'm doing this?" Madeleine frowned.

"I think I understand. I'll look for good families. We'll see what we can do."

Madeleine made to turn but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"No, mom," she said. Madeleine turned around and looked at her daughter whose eyes were a dark gray, different from their normal hue. "We'll see what we _will_ do."

o.8.o

_Bam, pow, wow!_

"Damn, Clary!" exclaimed Simon from his seat, wide eyes opened wide, filled with horror.

"_Simon," _she growled. Simon gasped.

"Darn!I said '_darn_'!" he said, trying to keep his eyes on the television.

Clary frowned. "I—I hadn't even noticed that . . . I was actually going to tell you to stop playing like a pussy." Simon raised an eyebrow as he hit the _X _button over and over again. Clary never misses a bad word.

_Her ears are like Superman's when that's involved, _he thought.

"Pussy? Not a bad word?" he said, not bringing up his other question.

"Hell no," she responded, landing a back flip kick to Simon's avatar. "It's part of my anatomy."

Simon almost chocked. "Don't want to know, Fray."

"You already did, Lewis." Clary hit any button possible on the remote. Simon was almost positive that she was about to break his remote, and soon, but didn't say anything about it.

Punching Mr. I've-Got-Too-Much-Muscle-For-My-Muscle-Shirt, the game declared K.O. for Simon. He pinched the bridge of his nose, moving his glasses up as he did so. He watched as the sexy girl wearing the piece of cloth—skirt—did a small victory dance.

"You're still that mad? It's been th—"

"Don't want to talk about it," she said dismissively, loading a new round already.

Simon knew he ought to do something about Clary. If her eyes were anything like Cyclops' from X-Men, the TV would've already reduced to smothered metal.

"I'm going to be Rogue this year for Halloween," she said all of the sudden. Simon glanced at her with a funny. She rolled her eyes. "From X-men, stupid." It wasn't his fault they both used to watch the cartoons daily after school . . .

"I knew that, obviously," he said and rolled his eyes. "I wanted to know why?"

"Because I can't be with anyone. It's stupid. Everything is stupid in life." She sighed.

"You do realize that Rogue _killed _people by kissing them, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. Your point?"

Simon shook his head. He was going to tell her something when his mom called from outside.

"Simon?" they both heard. "Someone's here."

"Were you planning on telling me of this grog fest? Who is it? Eric? I really don't feel like listening to something about _loins_," said Clary through her teeth as she punched the remote with more force. Simon paused the game, getting up.

"I, honestly, don't have the slightest clue who it might be, dear friend." He grabbed her arms and pulled her up. "Come on. Let's get some popcorn." He heard Clary sigh, but she obliged.

Walking down the hallways, Clary in front of him, Simon began remembering all the fun sleepovers, movie marathons, and game nights they would have. Nowadays, they didn't have the time to that much and he was happy that they were catching up right now. Even if Clary was beating his controller down from anger.

Passing through the threshold that separated the hallway from the living room, Clary came to a sudden stop. Simon, not ready for the halt, ran into her, making them both almost fall. When Simon looked over her shoulder, his eyes narrowed at the person in front of them.

_Jace Wayland._

Simon immediately moved to stand in front of Clary. He didn't care that this was his girlfriend's brother. He had hurt his best friend, and he wasn't going to let him do it again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked undetached. "Better question: how do you know my address?"

"Isabelle gave it to me," Jace nodded. "I—I need to talk to Clary. And I really could care less if you let me or not." Simon raised an eyebrow.

"What if she doesn't want to?" Clary snorted at that, but didn't argue. Jace's eyes narrowed as he passed a hand through his hair.

"Then she doesn't have to. But I really need to talk to her. Clary?" he asked, raising his head, trying to look over Simon's shoulder. Simon wrinkled his nose and turned around.

"I'll kick him out of here if you want to," he said as he looked at her. She had a scowl on her face, but her eyes seemed conflicted. Simon decided to kick Jace out.

Turning around, he began opening his mouth when a faint, "Fine," came from behind him. Clary came to stand beside him as she looked at Jace. "Let's talk outside, Jace." He nodded, and Clary began walking towards Simon's backdoor, leading to his backyard. She didn't turn back, leaving Simon open-mouthed. Noticing, he closed it and set his jaw. He turned around and went back to his room, giving them privacy.

o.8.o

She stood there, her arms crossed, foot tapping the ground. She was wearing her worn-out black hoodie and sweatpants. Jace wanted to smile at her mad expression but that wouldn't be appropriate. He was here to get her back. Making fun of her would certainly not do the trick.

_She was mad before she saw me, _he thought. _What was she mad at? Me? _he thought. _Does she repress it with anger too?_

Her eyes wouldn't meet his. They were intently looking at the floor, wall, grass . . . Everywhere but him. He needed to see her eyes. To see the green orbs that always made him feel better. He had let her be for two days, that way her anger could fade, but he couldn't take it anymore.

"Clary," he said, loudly. She set her jaw and made it a point that she was not going to turn to look at him. He stepped closer, still a few feet away. "Clary, look at me."

"Why would I do that?" she asked, keeping her gaze on her shoes.

"Because I need to see you. Please. "Jace could barely make out a scowl on her face, but she looked up. Her eyes were hurt, but right as he saw that, it disappeared with that look of indifference on her face. The same one she had given him the last night.

"There. Happy?" she asked calmly. Jace shook his head at her and began talking.

"I need to apologize. What I said to you the other day," he paused and looked at the sky, "I didn't mean it. None of it, Clare." She frowned, but her eyes seemed to soften. "You said things you didn't mean, I said things I—"

"What makes you think I didn't mean what I said?" Jace smirked internally.

"Because I know you. You would never say something like that. We were both mad. I—I'm sorry, Clary."

She looked at him for a few seconds, hard. After a few seconds of silence, she dropped her eyes to the floor again. Jace didn't know what that meant. Clary was being quite difficult to read that evening.

When the silence grew more, Jace nodded figuring he should leave. "I just wanted to say that. I guess I'll just go n—"

"The note," Clary interrupted. Jace waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't.

"What note?" he asked her with a frown.

She raised her head and looked at him. "The note in Mr. Nelson's class. You wrote, '_Sorry, Clare. I don't want to be friends._'" She paused and slapped her arms to her sides. Jace's eyes widened. "That hurt, Jace. A lot." Jace shook his head incredulously and stepped closer.

"Clary, what I wrote it's true! You wrote that you '_wanted to be friends'_!" He paused taking in her hurt expression. "Anyone that ever goes out with you will never want to be your friend again." She frowned and opened her mouth to say something but Jace interrupted. "I never again want to be your friend, Clary, but that's because I want to be something more." Jace smiled as he saw her eyes widening. "Believe me when I say I will punch anyone who tries to get that spot."

Clary snorted incredulously. "Oh, my _Science_! I'm so freaking sorry, Jace!" She flung her arms around his neck and held him tightly while Jace held her body close to his. He laughed at the ridiculousness of it all and she joined him soon. "I'm so, so, _so, _sorry! I should've known. I was just being stupid."

Jace chuckled. "You were." She punched his arm hard. "Okay, we both were! I get it." She giggled and pulled back. Jace noticed the tears coming out of her eyes and instantly wiped them away.

"Luke said that I had to fix this. I don't know why I let three days pass." Jace raised and eyebrow.

"Come on. We need to take Luke to a hospital. How hard did he hit his head?" Clary laughed and Jace grinned. Her eyes were shining.

"Don't be mean! I probably wouldn't have been civil to you Monday if it weren't for him."

"Civil," he chuckled. "If that's what you want to call it." She laughed.

"Oh, Jace . . ." She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. "I missed you so much."

He looked at her, and then he realized that he had been stupid to even begin an argument as stupid as the one theirs had been. "I missed you a lot more," he whispered and moved to her lips, kissing her lightly. He could feel the smile on her lips, and he reveled on how much he had missed the heat of her pink lips. Pulling away, he kissed her jaw line until he got to her ear. "I love you, Clare."

He felt her arms tighten around his neck as she kissed his cheek. "I love you too, Jace."

He pulled back to see her grin was matching his. He pecked her lips quickly. "God, I'm so stupid. Only I would've messed this up." Clary laughed and rested her forehead with his.

"You are pretty stupid. We'll have to change that, though." Jace raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"That'll have to wait. I need to have a talk with your . . . Friend." Clary released him with a laugh.

"You have to stop feeling that way about Simon! He's going out with Isabelle, which means he is not that bad! Besides, what do you want to talk about?" Jace looked back at the door.

"That. Isabelle," he said with a glare. Clary laughed and pushed him through the threshold.

"Just don't hurt him, okay?" he heard her ask.

Shaking his head he replied, "I don't promise anything."

"I'll force Isabelle to take you with her shopping."

That shut him up immediately.

* * *

_So, they're back together. One of the biggest problems with teen relationships is the lack of communication, and I wanted to show how THESE TWO at least have that. It was just three days, and I am aware that I didn't show any fun Clary/Nate time, and I have my reasons._

_A lot of you were asking for background on Tessa. I hadn't given any because she's not supposed to grow until later on, but this is the start. Hope you guys get the hints in there. ;D_

_So, I'm typing as fast as possible because, believe it or not, _camibandlover _is a Witch with a B that made me suffer all of this week. I believe it was since last week though. I hate you. So. Much. _BlondeHairBlueEyes14 _will be getting it soon from me. -.- And _07XReflectional _will be mad with me for updating RS instead of BA. *shrugs* :D ALSO _Sportyno1 _is honestly amazing! She deserves a big shoutout! :D_

_Black Ace will be updated later tonight or tomorrow after I am done with Region Choir auditions. O.O I know._

_Anyways, thanks for being awesome guys. We are fifteen reviews away from the mighty 400! :DD_

_TRANSLATIONS:_

___"Por dios, mamá!" — _My God, mom!

_"Nunca!" — _Never!

"_Mami," — _Mommy.

_So... Would you mind if you..._

_Review? :D_


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Say It Ain't So- Weezer_

_Longview- Green Day_

* * *

~Chapter Twenty-Two~

**THURSDAY**

"You look different," Nate commented from the other cashier.

Clary leaned against the counter and looked at him with a small smile. "Good different or bad difference?"

Nate rolled his eyes. "Good, _obviamente_. Finally over J—?" Clary noticed the way Nate tensed visibly setting his jaw. His eyes narrowed at something behind her.

"Excuse me," someone behind her breathed out. Recognizing the voice, Clary smiled. "Would you mind helping me look for a movie? I can't seem to find it." She bit her lip to keep the grin from exploding on her face. Nate, looking at her, seemed thrown at the action. Clary turned around and saw Jace.

"Well, of course, _sir_," she responded, staying in character. Jace grinned down at her. "Do you know the name?"

"Actually," he paused, raising a hand to pass it through his hair. "I was hoping you would suggest a movie. You see, I'm inviting my girlfriend over for a movie night, but I suck at picking movies."

Clary grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I could help you. Hey, Nate," she called turning around, "Be right back, okay? Going to help the customer." He nodded with a frown before turning around and helping another customer. Clary shrugged off his weird actions and turned around with a grin. "Okie dokie, follow me?" Jace nodded as she made her way towards to Gold movies aisle.

"So, anything in mind?" she asked him as she looked at the titles on the aisle.

"What's that movie called . . . Remembering Walk . . . ?" Clary looked at him with disbelief. Suddenly, she began laughing. Jace raised an eyebrow at her.

"Remembering Walk—Oh, dear . . ."

"Was I—" Jace paused, "Was I wrong?"

"Oh, you were. Do you mean _A Walk to Remember_?" Clary grinned as his eyes lit up.

"Yeah! That was it!"

"Well," Clary grabbed the copy and showed it to Jace, "Here it is, but I doubt your girlfriend would want to see this."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?"

Clary wrinkled her nose. "You see, this movie is pretty, yeah, but it makes you cry. And honestly, _I _hate crying in movies." Clary turned back to the aisle, looking at more titles. "A lot of girls think they look ugly while crying. Why would your girlfriend be the exception, eh?"

Smiling down at her, Jace replied, "Well, she looks beautiful doing mostly everything. Snorting, smiling, wrinkling her nose, rolling her eyes . . ." He shrugged. "She makes it work. I don't see why crying would make her ugly."

Clary smiled up at him. "Remember when you called me that one night?" Jace raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "And then you sang to me and I told you how cheesy you were?" He smirked and nodded again. "Well, you're doing it again. Keep doing it and I'll develop something called Mush Deficit Disorder."

Chuckling, he reached over and grabbed the movie from her hand, putting it back on the aisle. "Will you, then, not let me do this?" Clary saw him moving towards her, and before she knew it, he felt his lips on hers. She smiled but pushed him away before he could deepen it.

"Actually, I would let you, but I'm working! You shouldn't be doing that right now!"

"Okay, okay," he said laughing. He backed away holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "So, you don't want to see _A Walk to Remember_. What _do _you want to see then?" Clary's eyebrows rose.

"You were serious about it?" He smirked down at her.

"Yes, I was serious," he replied.

"Well, in that case . . ." she began walking out of the aisle. Clary could hear his footsteps behind her as she made her way towards her favorite aisle. "I want to see _all these _movies," she finished with a grin towards him.

It was the _Classics_ aisle. Movies like _The Mafia_, _Psycho_ and _The Untouchables_ sat in this aisle. He raised an eyebrow.

"Sucker for oldies?" he asked her with a smile.

She sighed content looking at the movies. "Always." He smiled down at her.

"Okay, close your eyes."

"Why?" she asked confused. "What for?"

"I'm getting movies and you won't see which ones. It's still going to be, partly, a surprise." He shrugged and gestured for her to close her eyes. She did, but not before an eye roll that earned her a grin from him. She heard some cases moving, the picking up and setting down of DVDs, and even the sound of a whole rack falling. She winced at the last one, but didn't open her eyes. Jace muttered to himself quietly as he picked up whatever fell.

After what felt like forever for Clary, Jace finally got the DVDs he wanted. "Okay, I think that's all."

She nodded. "Can I open my eyes now?" Hearing footsteps, she realized he was walking behind her. He put a hand to the small of her back so unexpectedly that it made her shiver pleasantly. He pushed lightly and she began walking to wherever his hand took her. Eyes still closed.

"Hm," he hummed just next to her ear, causing goose bumps to erupt on her arms as his breath hit her exposed ear. "No, I don't think you can."

She frowned but kept her eyes closed. "Why not?"

"Because," he whispered amused to her other ear, "People are looking at you like if you were an idiot and I'm enjoying it far too much." Clary scoffed and hit him in the ribs with her elbow. He started laughing loud.

"Don't say 'idiot'. It's not a bad word but it still sounds ugly," she scolded.

He kissed her check sweetly with a smile. "Sorry, Clare. You can open your eyes now."

"Whatever," she said while opening her eyes. She turned around and saw him smirking at her. Clary narrowed her eyes at him. "Get in line, loser." Smirking, he started walking towards the line.

"As you say, milady." Clary rolled her eyes at his dialect but stopped when she saw him tensing up. She frowned and turned around to see what he was looking at. Who she saw made her suck in a breath.

Entering Blockbuster was the woman that had been with Maryse on Valentine's Day when Clary and Jace came in. Madeleine Gray. And with her was Tessa. Nate, on the cashier, called out the mandatory "hello" without looking over.

"_Nathaniel, saluda a tu mamá apropiadamente_," called Madeleine to Nate. He tensed once again and didn't look over.

"_Dame un segundo_," he said in his Spanish accent. Clary, without noticing, had somehow gotten a hold of Jace's hand.

"I heard wrong, right? Say that I heard wrong," pleaded Clary to Jace.

"You heard wrong." He squeezed her hand lightly. Clary looked up at him.

"But I didn't, huh?"

"Nope," he said evenly. "You heard right." Clary sighed and looked at Nate's and Tessa's mom on the entrance. When she turned to look at Tessa, she found her eyes trained on hers. Clary jumped surprised.

"Oh, goodness!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Jace asked looking down at her in concern.

"She scared the sweet sugar in tea out of me!" she said looking at him. His eyes widened and his lips started turning up to a grin. And then he started laughing. Clary couldn't help it and laughed alongside him.

"I can't remember the first time you ever said that," he told her a little after they calmed down.

She shrugged with a smile. "I do say it quite often, sir." He grinned. "Now, get in line and I will help you when it's your turn."

"Thank you, ma'am. I don't know what I would've done without your help!" She turned around.

"I bet a lot. You look like a smart guy." And with that she walked to the cashier that awaited her. Looking over to Nate's cashier, she saw it empty. Once she spotted him, she saw him talking with his mom and Tessa. He turned back to cashiers and noticed Clary. His eyes widened and Clary mouthed a quick, "It's okay," and helped the next person in line.

She kept spotting Jace in the line looking at her, mouthing things she couldn't figure out for the life of her. She kept smiling at him every so often. She also looked at Nate and his family. He was making big hand gestures and looked agitated. Tessa looked pissed. Clary figured out that they were arguing. Madeleine was nowhere to be found. Probably looking for the latest Housewives series.

"It's okay, she seems to be in family duty. Not in business mode," he said passing over his DVDs to Clary.

She looked up at Jace with a smile. "I realized that. It's just, Tessa really creeped me out right now. And then now they are arguing and it's . . . Weird. I don't think I every argued that badly with Jonathan."

Jace looked where Clary was looking at. Tessa and Nate where still going at it. Suddenly, Nate shook his head and walked away towards the cashiers, head down. Jace shrugged and looked back at Clary.

"Tessa seems off at times. I don't like something about her," Jace said as he passed his ID and membership card to Clary. She took them and nodded.

"Yeah . . ." She snorted. "Who are we to judge?" she said with a small smile.

"I know, huh?" he said with a smirk.

"Sorry, Clary. Tessa is just being impossible," Nate said exasperated as he helped a customer on one cashier. The entrance door banged loudly as Tessa went to sit on the outside bench.

"No problem, Nate," she responded while checking the movies Jace had rented. She grabbed one and looked at him with a scowl. "Really? Why am I not surprised you got _Psycho_?"

He grinned. "I've never really seen it. Just the reenacting of it in that Looney Toons movie with Brendan Fraser. The one where Bugs Bunny is in the shower and makes a big deal about the non-blood with the Fraser guy."

Clary shook her head with a grin. "Only you, sweetheart. Only you. Anyways," she said changing the subject, "It's going to be six dollars with forty-six cents."

"Huh," he said reaching for his wallet, "This reminds me of why I use Netflix." Clary looked at Jace with shock and Nate snorted, obviously hearing their conversation.

"You have Netflix, and still came to Blockbuster." She grabbed the money from Jace and gave him his change. "You are freaking unbelievable."

"I second that statement," Nate piped in.

"I have my reasons. Actually, I have _a reason_," was all Jace said as he moved to the exit. Clary gave him his movies.

"And they will be due Tuesday before midnight," she replied with a small smile, understanding the meaning of his "reason".

"Tomorrow after school?" he asked her, grabbing the movies.

"That's my day off," she told him.

"Okay, then. Thank you, ma'am." And he left.

Clary went back to her cashier and greeted the next customer. Curious, she looked outside the window. Her eyebrows rose when she saw Jace standing still, a frown on his face. Then she saw a smaller figure, Tessa, talking to him, eyes wide. Jace said something coldly and then walked off. Clary saw Tessa sigh and then smile slightly.

Turning back to the customer with awaiting movies, she kept working. But she couldn't keep Tessa's smile out of her head. There was something unnerving about it. But again, it was just Tessa. And she was nice. One of the nicest girls Clary had met.

Clary convinced herself that she had just imagined that smile.

* * *

_Short, I know, but I really needed to get this out. Uhm, just wanted to tell you guys that, well, RS is coming to an end, and as I was writing the end of this chapter, I was getting even more depressed for every word I wrote. Yup, all those writer's blocks, flames, criticism, praises, fun times . . . They are coming to an end._

_And it hurts SOO much. _

_I thought I'd be like "DAMN! THANK THE LORD I'M DONE WITH THIS SHIT!" But I'm so sad to let it go. *sigh* I knew this would come._

_I'm thinking three or four more chapters . . . But if I get one of those sudden light bulbs (you'd be surprised how much this story changed from those things) it may be more. *shrugs* I. DON'T. KNOW._

_Thanks to _SportyNo1_ for over flooding my ego. :} _BlondeHairBlueEyes14_ for tweeting threats. _camibandlover_ for leaving FOUR FUCKING DAYS to a survival camp whatever and then deciding to be a bitch. *shrugs* It's her fault this is out today. All short and ugly. -.- And _07XReflectional_ for having such humor. The Mush Deficit Disorder shebang is all hers. She made it up. *shrugs*_

_TRANSLATIONS:_

"_Obviamente," _— Obviously.

"_Nathaniel, saluda a tu mamá apropiadamente,_" — Nathaniel, greet your mother properly.

"_Dame un segundo," _— Give me a second.

_So, four reviews from 400. :} Please make happy. If you review, I'll update Black Ace as quickly as possible. :D Yeah? So, you know . . ._

_Review? :D_


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Song:_

_I Dare You to Move- Switchfoot_

_Existentialism on Prom Night-Straylight Run_

_Up With the Birds- Coldplay_

*sigh* :}

* * *

~Chapter Twenty-Three~

**TUESDAY**

"_Ooh,_" she smiled, murmuring to herself as the person gave her a hot cup of coffee. "Coffee!" Looking up, the employee eyed her curiously before nodding and walking away. Clary laughed to herself before going to a booth on the far corner of the coffee shop. She took a sip out of her warm cup, careful not to scald her tongue. She let her head fall back as her eyes closed in pure bliss.

_Oh, yes, _she thought. _This is just what I needed._

It was late February, but New York was as cold as early January. The clouds were out as the sun was nowhere to be seen.

_So pretty, _she thought.

Shaking her head, she got rid of her dumb two-word thoughts and looked over at the front door. People were going in as fast as they were going out. Clary didn't have to hurry like them. She just had to sit back, relax, and try not to look like a kid on ecstasy.

_Half an hour. Just half an hour and then I'll be going._

She honestly doubted she had that much willpower.

"Organic muffin?" she heard a girl asking close by. Opening her eyes, she saw the girl leave the muffin in front of her and starting to move to another table, ready to deliver more muffins. Clary frowned as she recognized her.

"Maia?" she asked quietly. The girl turned around with a frown and looked at her. Her soft eyes widened as a smile formed in her lips.

"Clary." She laughed. "Wait a second. Let me just leave these. Be right back."She scurried off, her bun flapping against her neck. In five minutes, she was sitting right in front of Clary. "How are you? Haven't played with you in a while."

Clary laughed. "_I_ haven't been playing that much, actually. But I'm good. How are you?"

She shrugged. "Tired as hell. I'm here from four to eight." Clary widened her eyes as she saw the big bags under her eyes.

"Don't you have school?" Maia laughed quietly.

"I do. I just don't have a first period. Gives me time to," she paused pointing at herself, "clean up, you know. What about you?"

"Oh, I usually go in at around seven fifteen, but they called me and told me I wouldn't be needed, so they gave me a free period. I was already awake, so I thought," she shrugged one shoulder, "why not grab a coffee?"

Maia laughed. "You sure do have free time." Clary shook her head with a smile.

"Just today." She took a sip of her coffee.

"Well, that's good. How's Simon?" Maia asked cocking her head.

Clary shrugged with a small smile. "Same old, same old. You two haven't talked?" Maia's smile faltered.

"Honestly, I sort of messed it up." Clary frowned and opened her mouth to say something when Maia waved her hand. "But everything's okay now. I . . . I'm seeing someone."

Clary raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" She instantly smiled as she saw Maia's eyes twinkling.

"Yes. He, uh, works here. Actually, he was talking about a girl worshiping her coffee just a few minutes ago." Clary felt her cheeks reddening. "Did you see her?"

"I believe that was me . . . ?" she said in a question. Maia's smile turned to a grin.

"You're not kidding?" Clary shook her head. Maia began laughing. "Oh, dear! That's some good sh—" Maia stopped abruptly at Clary's serious change of emotion. "—shenanigans!"

Clary smiled. "I can't help it. Coffee is my addiction. Anyways," Clary began, changing the subject, "what's his name?" Maia smiled and looked over at the cashiers.

"Jordan. He's the one with the dark hair and the huge pink pin on his black t-shirt." Clary looked over seeing the guy that gave her the coffee fit Maia's description. She hadn't noticed, but, he was quite attractive. He was tan, and well-built. His light eyes were gorgeous, but not good enough for Clary, of course. She smirked.

"He seems like a nice guy," commented Clary.

Maia sighed. "He is. Amazing." Clary was about to respond to that when she saw the front door open with too much force. As the door closed, Clary saw Nate standing there looking wide-eyed. She frowned. "Well, Clary," Maia broke through Clary's concentration. "It was nice seeing you but I have to get back to work." Clary stood up with her, ready to go look at Nate. He was at the cashiers, talking to Jordan making wild hand gestures.

"It was nice seeing you, too. Bye," she told Maia distractedly. Maia left shortly after that. Clary pocketed her muffin in her backpack before making her way to Nate, who seemed to be looking over everybody; looking for someone. His eyes suddenly landed on her. They widened just as he began walking towards her.

"Clary," he breathed, his voice tinted with paranoia, "Please tell me you've seen Tessa here?"

o.8.o

_Just give up on her, _she had begun.

_Everyone knows you're far too good for her, _she had continued.

_She can find someone of her own league, _she had finalized.

Jace didn't know what had made Tessa say things like that to him. They were mean, unnecessary, and completely false. He had made her see that right before leaving. Even then, he couldn't help but think that maybe Clary saw it like that. The last few days, he had been treating Clary like Jace knew she was supposed to be treated. There was so much more he would have wanted to give her, but were far out of his reach.

The car was stopped on a red light. Jace looked around until his eyes found a huddled person on the side of a building. He was about to look back to the front when he realized the body frame was familiar. It looked a lot like—

The green light was given and Alec moved forward. "Alec, stop right there," Jace told him quickly. Alec gave him a questioning glance but followed through nonetheless. The closer they got, the more it looked like the person he believed it was. He got out quickly and jogged over to where she was.

"Tessa, right?" he asked and knelt down in front of her. "You know, if I was an inconsiderate guy I would just leave you here for what you said the other day, but I'm not." He frowned when he got no response. "Are you okay?"

_Just give up on her._

This was not usual protocol for Jace. He knew she was alive by the not too steady shaking of her shoulders. Her head was buried deep in her arms which were covered in goose bumps from the short sleeve she was wearing. Looking at her thin blouse made Jace's frown deepen. It was well below sixty degrees.

He looked back at the car where Isabelle was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Jace stood up and walked towards her.

"You guys should head to school. I'll see what's up and then I'll text you." Isabelle frowned at his words.

"B—but, Jace, you'll be late," she said with a small shudder. Jace noticed her sweater on the backseat.

"Yeah, and she'll be, too," he said running his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "I can't just leave her there, Iz, okay?"

"He's right, Iz. Let's go," said Alec from the driver's seat. Alec nodded at Jace briefly before Isabelle complied and closed her window. Once they were gone, Jace turned back to Tessa who had not moved at all from her previous position. He, himself, took his position back to the crouch in front of her.

"Tessa, it's freezing," he told her and proceeded to take off his jacket. He draped it over her shoulders. Jace noticed a small tremor pass through her as the jacket made contact with her skin. He quickly noticed the way she wouldn't move. Not even a fidget. Jace was becoming worried.

_Everyone knows you're far too good for her._

He nudged her shoulder softly. "Hey, what's wrong? Talk to me." Jace didn't know, but he was completely sure he heard her sob. It sounded hoarse and soft, like if she had lost her voice. He didn't want to invade her space, but if he didn't get any sign from her soon, he'd have to do just that.

"Tessa, I'm going to move your head. Don't lash out. It's just me, Jace. Okay?"he warned her. He went ahead and moved a hand to her head trying to see if he could lift her head. She seemed rather stubborn, not letting him move her head at all. "Hey, you need to get up." He tried for an endearing tone: "Come on, Tess. You nee—" Jace broke off as her head snapped up instantly at the slight alteration of her name.

_She can find someone of her own league._

"Fucking shit," he exclaimed as he stumbled back. Her eyes looked angry, the gray almost black. He stood up looking at her. Her eyes followed his every move while her jaw looked tense. Jace caught a small growl. His eyes lit up.

_The name? Is it the name?_ he thought, seeking answers.

The jacket fell off her as she began standing, her eyes still on him. He tried. "Tess, are you okay?" She didn't react differently.

_Oh . . . The tone . . . ?_

Endearing, he walked closer to her. "Tess, it's o—"

_Yes._

Her eyes widened instantly. "Oh, no," she snarled. She took a step towards him. Jace was about to step back when he noticed the vacant look in her eyes. Tessa wasn't seeing him at all. She had a trauma. Jace knew about them.

He'd been victim of them himself.

He took a slow step towards her and, if possible, her eyes took in an angrier look. They were on fire.

She shook her head, her eyes still on him. "You don't get to come back," she said, her voice deadly quiet. "You don't get to just come back and think everything is going back to how it was!" Her voice gradually increased until she was screaming at him. "I don't want you! Did you hear that? I never, _ever_, wante—" she broke off, her face frowning as her eyes filled with tears. She looked down. "I never wanted you . . ." Her head lifted, two trails of tears going down her cheeks. Her gray eyes looked weary as they regarded him. "_Never_."

As she started falling forward, Jace caught hold of her before she fell. Her hands took hold of his shirt instantly as she cried, sobbed onto his shirt. Jace sighed quietly. He knew she was lying.

_Oh, man,_ he thought.

o.8.o

"This is her favorite coffee place. I—" he continued, his voice breaking as he ran his hands through his hair, "I don't know where she is. This is bad." He pulled at his hair. "So, so bad."

"Hey," Clary took his hands out of his hair. "What happened? Why is it bad?" Nate's brown eyes looked at her pleadingly.

"Clary, Tessa is not mentally stable. I need to find her soon. She's not suicidal but, _maldita sea!_" he broke off again, angry. Clary felt helpless. She was glued to her spot of the ground. Tessa wasn't mental stable. _Tessa _wasn't mentally stable.

_Tessa wasn't mentally stable._

"Nate, look." She took his hand and started guiding him out the door. "We're going to find her but I need to know what happened. New York is more than a big city; it's huge! We can't just walk around calling her name. And, well," she paused, not knowing if she should say it, "if she ran away, she probably won't come out once she hears her name."

He hung his head. "I know that. We were just trying to pretend she was sane. The doctor told us the smoke may have caused damage to the brain, but we thought he might be meaning slight. Not this mentally unstable."He began looking around the streets. "She was never the same after the accident."

Clary raised her eyebrows. "Accident?" Nate looked uncomfortable.

"Well, yes. That's the reason why we moved here in the first place. There was a fire on our building. I wasn't there, only Tessa. She inhaled too much smoke. Our . . ." he trailed off looking to the distance. "Our father died there. That's why we moved in with our mother. She never cared about us before. Tessa hates her. But she didn't leave because of her . . ." He looked down at Clary. "It was because of me."

"Nate," she tried putting a hand on his arm.

"No, Clary," he replied angrily. "It's my fault. I should have been more understanding! I should have told her nicely! I should have definitely not brought _him _u—" abruptly, he stopped. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be unloading all this on you. It's far too perso—"

"Nate, it's okay. Really. Look, what's important right now is that we find her an—" she stopped as her phone started vibrating against her leg. "Give me a second," she told Nate before opening her phone.

_**You aren't at school right now? I thought you had courtesy every day. –I.**_

Clary looked at Nate's worried face. She doubted she'd be at school today at all.

_**Yes, I do but they gave me the day off. Still, I probably won't go to school today. Tell Jace. –C.**_

_**What? Why? What happened? Oh, and Jace encountered Tessa on the way to school so he may be late. But I'll tell him when he gets here. –I. **_

Clary's eyes bulged out of her head as she gasped. "Nate," she stopped him with her arm.

_**Izzy, you're a lifesaver. See you at school. –C.**_

Dialing Jace's number, she could barely contain the grin spreading through her face.

"Hello?" he breathed into the receiver. Clary noticed he seemed out of breath and there was quiet sniffling on the back.

"Jace? Where are you?" she asked quickly and noticed how Nate's eyes flashed with something quickly.

"Hey, Clary. I can't really talk right now. Why? What's up?" A sob.

"Jace . . ." she took in a deep breath. "I know you're with Tessa. _Where are you_?" Looking over at Nate, she could see him looking bewildered.

"How did you kn—Never mind that. I'm near Forbidden Planet."

"Okay. Nate's with me. Just . . . Stay there, okay?" She heard Jace sigh, almost relieved.

"Yeah, sure. Hurry. I don't know how much she'll stay this calm."

"Okay. Bye, Jace." Clary was about to close her phone when he responded.

"Bye, Clary. I love you."

"I love you, too," she said and closed her phone. "Okay, so they are at the comic store on Sixth Street. We should hurry up and get th—" Clary stopped as she took a hard look at her phone. She frowned momentarily.

_I love you._

He'd said that. She'd said it back.

Clary had imagined the moment, and she had to call herself a hopeless romantic. Of course she had wanted it to be in a more special manner. Jace being next to her would have been a great start.

That didn't matter as Clary broke into a huge grin.

Nate was looking at her with an exasperated expression. Tessa! Clary shook her head for being so selfish at the moment. Nate needed her and here she was thinking of her amazingly good love lif—

"Clary, could we get going? I don't want Jace to end up hurt. I mean, Tessa can have her adrenaline moments even if Jace is twice her size," he explained when Clary raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, okay. Let's go," she said, and with that, they ran towards Tessa.

o.8.o

_How far could they have been? _he asked himself as he smoothed down Tessa's hair.

Tears were still falling from her face, but she was silent looking over at the other side of the street. Her eyes were glazed, so Jace knew that she was elsewhere. She would flinch or whimper every once in a while. Jace couldn't remember ever doing something like this. Yes, they had told him that at other foster homes, he would just walk around with glazed eyes, but that's about it.

He had stopped a few weeks after the care of the Lightwood's. Sort of. He would get them every other month or so, but through the years, they disappeared completely. The nightmares didn't, of course. Jace figured that it was better to have those.

Fifteen minutes after Clary's call, Jace started noticing Tessa's brow furrowing. She started sweating and hyperventilating as well. He looked around, looking for something that may help her. He looked back at Tessa.

"Hey, Tessa. When was the last time you ate or drank anything?" She looked at him and shook her head slightly. By the look of her lips, she hadn't gotten any water in quite a while. "Come on. Let's stand up."

Looking quickly at the time on his phone, he noticed the comic book store wouldn't be opening for another forty minutes. But, if Jace knew something about commercial places, it was there was always someone inside an hour before. Besides, this was an emergency.

He knocked on the door with his house keys. No one seemed to be coming. He used the hand that wasn't holding Tessa to hood his eyes and look inside. There was a dim light, and if he squinted, he could make out the shape of someone's head on one of the aisles. He groaned and tried knocking harder.

After two or three minutes of incessant knocking, the door opened.

"Look, we open at nine, man. That is in about half an ho—" began the guy who was still partly invisible by the shadows.

"I know your schedule," Jace interrupted. "We're not here for comics." The guy came out a bit more that the light hit him. He raised an eyebrow at Jace. He was a dark haired guy in his early twenties. He looked at Tessa slightly, his frown deepening. She was looking at floor, her arms limp next to her. Jace grabbed her more firmly around her waist.

"Uh, we aren't hiring either," the guy said. Jace rolled his eyes.

"Do you have any water? She hasn't had any in the last few hours. She'll dehydrate soon." The guy looked at Tessa more closely. With a moment of hesitation, he let them in.

"Here's a stool. Sit her there." He motioned to a stool next to the register. Jace nodded his thanks. "I'll go get a bottle from the back."

Jace maneuvered Tessa until she was sitting on the stool. He lifted her head and she opened her eyes slightly. They looked tired.

"How are you feeling?" he asked just as the guy came back with the bottle. He handed it to Jace. Opening it quickly, he made Tessa drink some of the content.

After she had drank a bit, she muttered quietly, "Tired. I'm tired. I'm very, _very,_ tired."

"What happened to her?" asked the guy. Jace looked at him quickly before giving Tessa more water.

"She had a mental breakdown." Tessa coughed softly before closing her eyes. Jace's phone started ringing in his pocket. He fished it out and opened it, supporting Tessa's back in case she fell asleep.

"Hello?" he talked to the receiver.

"Jace!" Clary exclaimed panting hard. "Where," pant, "are you?" Pant. "We," pant, "are outside," pant, "Forbidden Planet."

"We're inside. Tessa was almost dehydrated." Jace looked over at the guy. "Would you mind letting them in? It's her brother." The guy nodded and began moving towards the door. "A guy is going to open the door for you two."

"Okay," pant. "How is she?"

"Tired," he said, copying Tessa's words.

"The door is opening. See you inside." Jace closed his phone with her parting words seeing a halo of red near the door. Her curls began bouncing towards them; Nate's bigger built close to her heels. Jace sighed with relief. Tessa, feeling new presences, opened her eyes.

Clary stopped right next to Jace. Her eyes were looking at Tessa with a small frown. Nate, then, encircled Tessa in his arms. Jace let go and took a step back. He felt Clary's cold, small hand grasping his. He looked down at Clary and smiled. She mouthed "thank you" and smiled at him while squeezing his hand.

Nate turned to the store guy and shook his hand. "Thank you so much for letting us be in here. We appreciate it." The guy smiled and shook his hand. Nate's eyes flitted to Jace and he nodded, silently thanking him. Jace nodded back.

"We should get Tessa to a hospital. She looks too pale," recommended Clary. Nate took of his jacket and replaced Jace's with his own. He gave Jace his jacket back.

"Yeah, she was only wearing that shirt," said Jace. "I don't know how long she was out, though."

Nate nodded and helped Tessa out of the stool. "She left yesterday at around nine. Usually, she does that and comes back before the morning. That's why I was scared when she wasn't back."

Tessa stood on shaky legs and turned to the guy. "Thank you," she muttered and opened her eyes to look at him. She gasped and took a step back, her eyes getting watery again. "No!" she exclaimed. "Not again. Blue. Please, no. Eyes." Nate grabbed her and began making shushing noises. "Leave. Leave, Will," she whispered and began crying onto Nate's shirt.

Nate sighed and looked at Jace and Clary. "Let's go. She's having a flashback." He looked back at the guy who looked confused. "I'm sorry. Thank you again. We'll be going." Nate scooped Tessa up in his arms and began walking to the door. With a short nod to the guy, they followed Nate.

o.8.o

"So, she wanted to separate us?" Clary asked; her mind still not able to comprehend. "Why? What did we ever do to her?"

Nate sighed. "Nothing. Neither of you did anything. She just doesn't believe anyone can be happy. Not after her ex-boyfriend broke her heart."

Jace nodded. "Will?"

"Yeah," Nate said nodding. "Their brake up was just a few days before the accident. The doctor says that, because she was still going over that, it became part of her trauma."

"But," Clary paused feeling almost angry. "You helped! Why would you do that?"

"Clary," Nate began, "Tessa told me there was a reason. That she couldn't tell me, but that I had to trust her. That's why we fought yesterday . . . And the days before that, too. I told her she couldn't keep it up. That is was wrong. And th—" He put his head on his hands. "Then I mentioned Will. It was like the cherry on top."

"What about your mom?" asked Jace. He took Clary hand and squeezed. Clary felt her anger dissipating slowly.

"She was just trying to make Tessa happy. She wanted to make up for the years she wasn't there." He took a deep breath. "Look, guys, I'm sorry. Tessa is, too. Hopefully, she'll get some help."

"Grey, Teresa?" they heard. Turning, the doctor regarded them warily. "Friends?"

Nate stood up. "I'm his brother." The doctor nodded.

"Let's go talk in my office." Nate nodded and walked with the doctor. Clary sighed.

"I don't like hospitals," she mentioned.

"I do," said Jace. Clary looked at him with eyebrows raised. "They're clean," he explained. Clary rolled her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Should I be mad?" she asked softly. Jace put his arm around her.

"At Tessa? No. It wasn't her intention." She fiddled with his fingers.

"I guess you're right. I'm not angry, anyways." She blew a curl away from her face.

"I'm sorry," he said to her. Clary looked up at him with a frown.

"Why?" she asked. He looked at her with a small smile.

"I said the f-word and the s-word today." Clary's eyes widened. "In the same sentence," he concluded. Clary gasped.

"Jace! Why did you do that?" Jace laughed.

"Tessa scared me when she almost pounced on me," he told her putting a curl behind her ear. She glared and slapped his hand.

"I'm very disappointed. I thought I'd taught you better." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's better that I told you instead of hiding it, right?" he asked wrapping his arms around her.

"Ugh, you're unfair." She shivered as his nose skimmed her neck. "Either way, you were amazing today," she said, her tone changing completely. She turned to him. "Thank you for what you did for Tessa." She smiled and tangled her hand on the hair at the nape of his head, scratching slightly.

He smiled back at her. "You know what this means, right? There's no risk of me leaving."

"Yeah," she said, grinning at him happily; content. "I sort of figured that out."

* * *

_So, if you haven't figured it out, this is the last chapter. What's left is the epilogue and then, _POOF_, done. :}_

_The epilogue will be on your inboxes in two weeks from now. Be expecting it, because I plan on actually fulfilling that promise. Cross my heart and swear to die._

_This is for _SportyNo1_ for being so patient. _BlondeHairBlueEyes14_ for almost giving me a heartattack. _camibandlover_ for having WordWars with me even when she's trying to feed her Health baby. :} And _07XReflectional_ for just being herself and the bestest friend ever. :} Without you guys, I swear, I wouldn't be here._

_I feel like crying and it's not even my last chapter. I can just see it in two weeks. I'll be bawling my eyes out. But, you know, I feel happy. _

_TRANSLATIONS:_

"_Maldita sea,_" — Damn it.

_Pretty please, leave me a . . ._

_Review? :)_


	25. Epilogue

***All the characters from The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare and her incredible mind. Nothing will ever be owned by the author of this story. ;)***

_Songs:_

_Old Yellow Bricks- Arctic Monkeys_

_Release Me- Mae_

_Remembering Sunday- All Time Low_

Okay, author's note on the top today, guys.  
The reason why this has been uploaded exactly at midnight of the 18th of December is because exactly one year ago, I posted the prologue to this story.  
I just want to thank you all for this amazing year. Writing Remembering Sunday was a dream to me, and having you read it made it come true. Thank you for your great patience with me throughout the year.  
Oh, I finally created the playlist for this story. It's in my profile. :)  
Either way, if you are reading Black Ace . . . ;) Well, it's obvious you are not getting rid of me quite yet. If you are not reading BA . . . You will do so after this chapter. ;D  
Mandy, Taylar, Cams, Paulina . . . :) Thank you. For everything. For the help, writer's block, threats, fun conversations . . . But most of all for your friendship.  
Please, go on ahead and read. :) I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

~Epilogue~

**SUMMER—SUNDAY**

She looked between them. Both their left elbow were on the table, their other hand stabbing their food. They were right across each other, and the tension between them was far from oblivious.

Looking at Simon in front of her, Isabelle widened her eyes and discreetly, as discreetly as she could, cocked her head toward the mad couple. Simon's lip twitched into a grimace. He wanted to confront them just as much as Isabelle wanted, but, looking into Simon's eyes, Isabelle knew he had as much of an idea as her. And she didn't have one.

Simon sighed and opened his mouth. Isabelle almost sighed with relief after him as well. At least she wouldn't have to have the first word.

Isabelle saw Simon look at her once more before looking at her best friend. "I think—"

"_Shut the front door, Simon_," Clary hissed at him without looking from where she was murdering her pasta. Isabelle began getting angry. They were here to have a good time. And to have a good time, there was supposed to be communication.

"No, Clary. I want to talk. That's what we are here for. I give a damn if you and Jace are having a lover's spat." She crossed her arms and glared at the two of them.

Clary looked about to answer but was silenced by Jace. "Izzy's right, _Clary_. We came to _talk_." His eyes were looking at her mockingly. Clary looked as mad as Isabelle had ever seen her. It was impossible to see her green eyes by how much she was glaring.

"Then, talk, _Jace_. Come on. Strike a conversation with me. I'm _dying_ to see what other things your mind can _come up with_," she said taking the same tone as Jace. His fork hit his plate with a bang as his eyes narrowed. Isabelle looked at Simon quickly for any type of help. Unfortunately, he looked as stunned as she felt herself.

"Oh, but, Clary! I don't _come up with_ things. I take facts and put them together like any other person would. Then I voice them aloud to make conversation." Isabelle was pretty sure that they weren't speaking about starting a conversation anymore.

"May Science be darned, _Jace_!" Clary slammed her hands on the table hard. "_I didn't cheat on you with Nate!_" Isabelle's eyes bugged out.

"Then, if it was an innocent visit, why would you keep it from me? And for five months, nonetheless!" He looked ready to stand up and storm out to have a proper fight. His knuckled were white were he was clutching the table.

"_Because,_" Clary began emphasizing, "it _was_ an innocent visit! And besides, it was during our break-up—"

"Just because we weren't together doesn't mean you had to cheat on me! And with Nate!" Isabelle frowned. Jace wasn't making sense. If she was truly honest, she was about to burst out into giggles from how hilarious this was.

Simon seemed to be thinking the same as Isabelle. "Technically, she couldn't have been cheating on you if yo—" Jace shot him a dirty look which silenced him immediately.

"We watched _movies_. Not even _movies_. More like a _movie._ He wanted to make me feel better since someone had just broken my heart! That's what _friends_ do, Jace. _Friends_."

Looking around, Isabelle could see that they were drawing attention. People were staring at Clary and Jace with a mix of confusion and intrigue.

"Then if you did nothing, why didn't you say anything before?" Isabelle could see that his anger was dissipating.

Clary sighed. "Because, Jace," she began, her voice sounding tired, "I had nothing to hide." Jace sighed, too, and ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Clare. It's the stress talking." He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. She looked hesitant, but her fingers still entwined with his. Clary smirked.

"This," she pointed at their hands, "doesn't mean you're off the hook." Jace smirked at her as well.

"Ah, man. There goes my plan of looking miserable so you would forgive me." Clary rolled her eyes and went back to her plate, actually eating. Jace's hand was still being firmly held by hers.

Isabelle's eyes found Simon's from across the table. They were as wide as hers felt. Bringing her hands in front of her face, she began clapping.

Clary jumped slightly out of surprise. Jace, next to her, frowned at her. Simon smiled at her before he began clapping as well.

"Oh, my . . . New record, Simon!" She checked the time on her phone. "Four minutes and sixteen seconds!" Simon's smile widened to a grin.

"Last week's was seven minutes and forty-three seconds, right?" Isabelle laughed with him.

"Wait," began Jace, "you two have been making a sport out of our relationship?" Isabelle shook her head at him with a smirk.

"No, no." She put a hand on his arm. "Just your arguments."

Simon choked on his soda. His grin was huge, and Isabelle loved how his face transformed with it. "What was the last one? Hm . . . Oh, right! Jace didn't know the difference between Periwinkle and Sky Blue." Clary glared at him and punched his arm with her free arm.

"That is not nice, guys!" Her gaze went to Jace quickly. "But that was very stupid of you. I mean, who doesn't know the difference—"

"Please," Isabelle said raising her hand, "not again." She looked at both of them for good measure. "Once a week is great. On second thought, tune it down a bit. Once a fortnight, yeah?"

Simon and Clary laughed. "Fortnight, Isabelle?" asked Clary. "Someone's been watching Simon play WoW a bit too much." Isabelle felt her cheeks warming up. Simon stood up and offered her his hand.

"Let's get out of here," he told her. She nodded with a nod. Once out the door, Isabelle realized they'd left Clary and Jace alone to pay the check . . .

_Oh, well_, she thought with a smirk.

o.8.o

"That's our queue to leave as well," Jace told Clary standing up. Clary stood up as well, but not before finishing her soda. Jace shook his head at her as he took out a few bills and put them on the table. Clary sighed in frustration.

"Of course they would leave and make you pay. They always do," she said exasperated. Jace grinned.

"We've only gone out with them twice. I'll make Simon pay next time. Third time's the charm, they say." He led her towards the door with his hand in hers. Clary shook her head at him silently, a small smile on her face.

"Where are we going?" she asked him once he started walking the opposite way Simon and Isabelle had gone. She turned to see the small, playful smile on his lips. He didn't meet her eyes as they walked. Clary sighed when she didn't get an answer from him. She didn't push him, though. She knew Jace would notice her silence.

He looked at her after a few blocks. "That's it? You tried once and gave up?" Clary smiled up at him.

She shrugged. "I figured that I'll see soon enough where we're going. Besides," she continued, "I'm done thinking you are going to kidnap me." She heard him snort and Clary couldn't help squeezing his hand softly, insuring him she was just playing with him. He smirked and pulled her towards a small establishment. Clary frowned but followed him inside.

Clary found herself enclosed in a mauve colored room. There were very few people inside. Less than ten, Clary estimated. There were tables and shelves lined up with old-looking artifacts. She looked over at Jace.

"A thrift store?" she asked him with curiosity. He nodded and walked her over towards the back of the room. Clary hadn't noticed it, but there were beads hanging from the ceiling on a part of the wall. Jace moved them out of the way to show the opening to another room. He gestured for Clary to go in.

Inside the smaller room, Clary couldn't help the small gasp that fell from her lips. There were glass cases against the walls, all encasing glassware and the likes. One wall was bare, though. Clary marveled at the mural there. There was a self portrait of a self-possessed young man on the middle top of the wall. Although the painting was incredible, it was not what had caught Clary's attention.

Beneath the painting, there was a lake painted on the wall. Clary walked closer. The turquoise was beautiful—perfect, even. The sunset was reflected from it. Pinks to grays. There was greenery on the sides. Clary thought something was wrong about it, but what could it—

"It's the summer view. We went in the middle of winter," Jace informed her. The breath hitting her neck informed her of his proximity. She felt his hands at her hips as she looked at the mural.

Jace was right. It was the lake they had gone to on their first date.

One of their many Sundays together.

"How?" she managed to ask him. Her voice was small and cracked at the end. She couldn't help the emotion that the painting evoked in her.

He kissed the skin under her ear, causing her to shiver. "Magnus and Alec found it on one of their dates. Alec brought Iz and me the next day to show us a plate for mom's birthday, but after seeing this here . . . Well, I just had to bring you."

Clary let out a shaky breath and intertwined her fingers with his. Turning around on his embrace, she came upon his face. His mouth was slightly parted, those full lips exhaling breaths that warmed her cheeks. She moved up to his slightly crooked nose. Finally she saw his eyes. They were soft, melted gold looking at her with such sweetness. Want. Need . . .

Love.

She took his face in her hands unable to keep her hands off him. She could feel herself melting, just like the color in his eyes was. His hands gripped her closer to him.

"Remember what I said?" he asked. She knew perfectly well what he had said, but wanted to hear it again. "I said, 'I think I may be falling in love with you, Clare.'" Clary felt a tug on her stomach, just thinking of it. His eyes were flickering with a lot of emotions, and she couldn't fix on just one.

"I remember," she responded in a whisper. "And I said, 'Jace, I think I could be falling as well.'" He smiled at her, the action transforming his beautiful face completely. Clary sucked in a breath. After almost six months, being with him in private was still always a new experience.

"Yes," he said, bending down to kiss her cheek. "Which makes my earlier argument stupid. I want to apologize. I should never doubt you. All the university talk going on at home and with Alec leaving—"

She smiled. "Jace, I get it." He closed his eyes briefly. Clary stood on her tiptoes and kissed one of his closed eyes. She felt him sigh heavily. "Just remember that I love you. I love you and I always will."

He smiled down at her and tightened his grip on her. "I love you, too."

"Even if we do fight for ridiculous reasons," she added with a small smile. He smirked.

"Despite meaningless arguments." She sighed and hugged him tightly. He returned it with as much strength.

They stood like that for minutes, just absorbing each other. His hand was smoothing down the braid she had made earlier making her curls escape. Feeling at ease, she almost jumped when she felt Jace's chest rumble as he spoke.

"That's not all I wanted to show you," he said, pushing her back just far enough to kiss her nose gently. Taking her hand, he led her towards one of the small glass displays. Opening it, he grabbed something Clary couldn't quite see. He folded whatever he grabbed in his hand, and once again, it was out of Clary's sight.

Smiling, he opened his hand and let it fall for Clary to look at. Holding it with one finger, Jace had a necklace in his hand. It was a translucent gold necklace with a circular pendant. The light made it sparkle beautifully.

Holding out her hand, she brought the pendant closer for inspection. She noticed that it was not a pendant after all, but a ring. It had a diamond shaped violet stone in the middle. Engraved on the sides of the stone were beautiful-looking flowers. Small diamonds were encrusted on the flower. "Wow," she whispered.

"The first time I saw it, it caught my eye. It was beautiful. And there was only one person I wanted to give it to." Clary looked at him in shock as he motioned for her to turn around. Once she had, cold metal hit her neck. Once he had fastened it on her neck, he turned her around. She looked down at the necklace, fingering it softly.

"Jace, I can't—"

"Yes, you can." He moved closer to her and took hold of the ring. "I asked the lady what these were," he said pointing at the flowers. "Do you know what she said?" Clary shook her head knowing that Jace knew she didn't know. "Clary sage." Clary felt her eyes widening. "I was already going to buy it. Those words just sealed the deal."

Clary looked up, and without waiting, kissed him. Responding immediately, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in. She felt everything she had ever wanted to feel and more in that kiss. Jace was crushing her, and she could have cared less. She could never be close enough to Jace. Every single kiss he gave her told her how much he loved her. How much he wanted her. Clary was sure that her kiss had the same amount of intensity.

"I fucking love you, Jace Wayland," she whispered at him after breaking away. His eyes opened; dark gold.

"Cussing, Clare?" he asked mockingly.

She held his eyes, looking slowly from one of his eyes to the other. "Only with you," she paused. "It will be our dirty little secret." She smirked up at him.

"Well," he said chuckling, "I won't tell a soul." His face turned serious as he held her face. "I love you too, Clary."

She smiled and let her head fall on his shoulder as she fingered her necklace with delicacy. He passed his hands through her hair softly, humming something under his breath. Jace was the only one who she felt truly at peace with after everything. That's what she loved most about him. She would never give it away for anything. She felt his lips on the top of her head, kissing her lightly.

"Happy Birthday, Clary Fray."

* * *

_Thank you for reading._

_Review? :)_

_HI GUYS. It's camibandlover here. I'm making a special announcement (kind of). Um, last november, I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, for those of you who don't know. Basically, you write a novel that's 50k words long and win prizes for it.) and I won. One of the prices was the following: get 5 printed copies of your book. Paperback copies. But there is one problem: my novel is not finished, half of it got deleted, and I gave up on it. Since Max's fanfic was about to end when I found out, I decided to give her a present and reveal it here. Um, Max, I'm giving you five printed copies of RS. (I am so awkward.) I hope you liiike it! We'll work on everything until the actual thing gets printed, and then you get to own a copy of your baby! ;) Told you it wasn't over yet. ;D (Btw, I am so happy that I was a part of this. You're a great friend, and I love youuuuuuu! And you will never hear me say those words until it's your birthday or the day of your wedding in 10 years. Okay? :)) And, Max? YOU DID IT! _

_Happy reading, guys! Reviewww. ;) _


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